The Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Industry is, as a Minister of State, a mid-level defence minister in the Ministry of Defence of the British Government. The current incumbent of the post, Labour MP Maria Eagle, was appointed in July 2024.[1]
Origins
This ministerial post derives from that of two posts; the procurement aspects of this post were the responsibility of the Minister of Defence Procurement (either a Minister of State or the more junior, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State), while still the defence logistic aspects were the brief of the Minister of State for the Armed Forces.
This post was created in 2007 to reflect the establishment of the Defence Equipment and Support organisation of the UK Ministry of Defence. Lord Drayson was appointed as its first incumbent.[2] Whilst Lord Drayson held the role as a Minister of State, all of his successors were Parliamentary Under-Secretaries, the most junior ministerial rank in the British Government, until the appointment of Jeremy Quin in 2020.
The post was retitled in 2010 as Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology. The current title of the post is unclear as it has been announced as both Minister for Defence Procurement[3] and Minister for Defence Equipment, Technology and Support.[4]
Responsibilities
The Minister is responsible for:
- Delivery of the Equipment Plan
- nuclear enterprise
- Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) reform
- defence exports
- innovation
- defence science and technology including DSTL
- information computer technology
- the Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO)
- DIO estates and investment
- environment and sustainability in defence.
List of ministers
Ministers of Defence for Equipment, 1967–1970
|
Minister
|
Entered office
|
Left office
|
Political party
|
|
File:Blank.png
|
Roy Mason
|
7 January 1967
|
16 April 1968
|
Labour
|
|
File:Official portrait of Lord Morris of Aberavon crop 2.jpg
|
John Morris
|
16 April 1968
|
19 June 1970
|
Minister of State for Defence, 1970–1972
|
Minister
|
Entered office
|
Left office
|
Political party
|
Prime Minister
|
|
File:Blank.png
|
Lord Balniel
|
23 June 1970
|
5 November 1972
|
Conservative
|
Edward Heath
|
Minister for Defence Procurement, 1971–1972
|
Name
|
Portrait
|
Entered office
|
Left office
|
Political party
|
|
File:Blank.png
|
Ian Gilmour
|
7 April 1971
|
5 November 1972
|
Conservative
|
Ministers of State for Defence, 1972–1981
|
Name
|
Portrait
|
Entered office
|
Left office
|
Political party
|
|
File:Blank.png
|
Ian Gilmour
|
5 November 1972
|
8 January 1974
|
Conservative
|
|
File:George Younger.JPEG
|
George Younger
|
8 January 1974
|
4 March 1974
|
|
File:Official portrait of Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank crop 2.jpg
|
William Rodgers
|
4 March 1974
|
10 September 1976
|
Labour
|
|
File:Blank.png
|
John Gilbert
|
10 September 1976
|
4 May 1979
|
|
File:Blank.png
|
Euan Howard
|
6 May 1979
|
5 January 1981
|
Conservative
|
|
File:Blank.png
|
The Viscount Trenchard
|
5 January 1981
|
29 May 1981
|
Ministers for Defence Procurement, 1981–2007
|
Minister
|
Entered office
|
Left office
|
Political party
|
Prime Minister
|
|
File:Blank.png
|
The Viscount Trenchard
|
29 May 1981
|
6 January 1983
|
Conservative
|
Margaret Thatcher
|
|
File:Blank.png
|
Geoffrey Pattie
|
6 January 1983
|
11 September 1984
|
|
File:Blank.png
|
Adam Butler
|
11 September 1984
|
2 September 1985
|
|
File:Official portrait of Lord Lamont of Lerwick 2020 crop 2.jpg
|
Norman Lamont
|
2 September 1985
|
21 May 1986
|
|
File:Official portrait of Lord Trefgarne 2020 crop 2.jpg
|
The Lord Trefgarne
|
21 May 1986
|
24 July 1989
|
|
File:Blank.png
|
Alan Clark
|
24 July 1989
|
14 April 1992
|
John Major
|
|
File:Blank.png
|
Jonathan Aitken
|
14 April 1992
|
20 July 1994
|
|
File:Official portrait of Lord Freeman crop 2, 2019.jpg
|
Roger Freeman
|
20 July 1994
|
6 July 1995
|
|
File:Official portrait of Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom crop 2.jpg
|
James Arbuthnot
|
6 July 1995
|
1 May 1997
|
|
File:Blank.png
|
The Lord Gilbert
|
2 May 1997
|
July 1999
|
Labour
|
Tony Blair
|
|
File:Official portrait of Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean crop 2.jpg
|
The Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
|
July 1999
|
8 June 2001
|
|
File:Official portrait of Lord Bach crop 2.jpg
|
The Lord Bach
|
8 June 2001
|
6 May 2005
|
|
File:Paul Rudd Drayson 02.jpg
|
The Lord Drayson
|
6 May 2005
|
6 March 2007
|
Ministers for Defence Equipment and Support, 2007–2012
|
Minister
|
Entered office
|
Left office
|
Political party
|
Prime Minister
|
|
File:Paul Rudd Drayson 02.jpg
|
The Lord Drayson
|
6 March 2007
|
7 November 2007
|
Labour
|
Tony Blair
|
Gordon Brown
|
|
File:Official portrait of Baroness Taylor of Bolton crop 2, 2019.jpg
|
The Baroness Taylor of Bolton
|
7 November 2007
|
5 October 2008
|
|
File:Lord Davies of Stamford 2015.jpg
|
Quentin Davies
|
5 October 2008
|
12 May 2010
|
|
File:Peter Luff, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Defence.jpg
|
Peter Luff
|
9 June 2010
|
4 September 2012
|
Conservative
|
David Cameron
|
Minister for Defence Procurement, 2012–2024
|
Minister
|
Entered office
|
Left office
|
Political party
|
Prime Minister
|
|
File:Philip Dunne MP.jpg
|
Philip Dunne
|
4 September 2012
|
14 July 2016
|
Conservative
|
David Cameron
|
File:Official portrait of Harriett Baldwin MP crop 2.jpg
|
Harriett Baldwin
|
18 July 2016
|
9 January 2018
|
|
Theresa May
|
|
File:Official portrait of Guto Bebb crop 2.jpg
|
Guto Bebb
|
9 January 2018
|
16 July 2018[5]
|
|
File:Official portrait of Stuart Andrew MP crop 2.jpg
|
Stuart Andrew
|
19 July 2018
|
27 July 2019
|
|
File:Official portrait of Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan crop 2.jpg
|
Anne-Marie Trevelyan
|
27 July 2019 [6]
|
16 December 2019
|
Boris Johnson
|
|
File:Official portrait of James Heappey MP crop 2.jpg
|
James Heappey
|
16 December 2019
|
13 February 2020
|
|
File:Official portrait of Jeremy Quin MP crop 2.jpg
|
Jeremy Quin
|
13 February 2020
|
7 September 2022
|
|
File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Alec Shelbrooke MP crop 2.jpg
|
Alec Shelbrooke
|
7 September 2022
|
26 October 2022
|
Liz Truss
|
|
File:Official portrait of Alex Chalk MP crop 2.jpg
|
Alex Chalk
|
27 October 2022
|
21 April 2023
|
Rishi Sunak
|
|
File:Official portrait of James Cartlidge MP crop 2.jpg
|
James Cartlidge
|
21 April 2023
|
5 July 2024
|
Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, 2024-present
|
|
File:Official portrait of Maria Eagle MP crop 2.jpg
|
Maria Eagle
|
8 July 2024
|
Incumbent
|
Labour
|
Keir Starmer
|
References