August 2022: Leadership Campaign Special
On this month’s podcast we’re joined by Liz Truss MP and Rishi Sunk MP as we talk about their campaigns and Defence issues.
April 2021: Policy Pamphlet Discussion
On this month’s podcast we hear from the contributors to the CFAF Policy Pamphlet 2021 from a discussion at Conservative Spring Conference.
March 2021: Shane Mason and Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace MP
On this month’s podcast we hear from Shane Mason, former Royal Navy rating and defence industry executive and we hear from Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace MP as he discusses the Integrated Review at Conservative Spring Conference.
Our first guest is Shane Mason. Shane joined the Royal Navy in 2003 as a Gunner, serving four years and has since had a meteoric rise in defence taking on major responsibilities such as Leading T4X for BAE Systems and now as Head of Strategy for Defence Systems & Technology within Babcock International, even finding time for an MBA, sponsored by his MoD learning credits. He’s been a supporter of CF Armed Forces from its inception and talks about technology, strategy and the Integrated Review.
Our second part of the podcast is a recording of the Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace MP joining the host James Clark, Executive Director of CF Armed Forces for a discussion on the Integrated Review from Conservative Spring Conference held on the 27th March 2021.
February 2021: Sir Charles Walker MP, Leila Bousbaa and Tom Tugendhat MP
On this month’s podcast we are joined by Sir Charles Walker, MP for Broxbourne, Leila Bousbaa, Senior Events officer at the Coalition for Global Prosperity and Tom Tugendhat who is the Member of Parliament for Tonbridge and Malling.
January 2021: Steve Baker MP and Flick Drummond MBE
This month’s Conservative Friends of the Armed Forces podcast features two Members of Parliament both with Forces experience.
Steve Baker has been the Member of Parliament for Wycombe. Following a career in the Royal Air Force, Steve moved into computer science working in senior roles in business software before being elected to Parliament in 2010 as the Member for Wycombe. He established the Cobden Centre, an educational charity and has been on the Transport and Treasury Select Committee. He was a vocal advocate for leaving the European Union.
Flick Drummond is the Member of Parliament for Meon Valley. Flick was elected in 2019 and is currently PPS in the Department for Work and Pensions. From 2015 to 2017 she was the MP for Portsmouth South. She previously worked as an insurance broker, Ofsted lay school inspector and member of the Territorial Army Intelligence Corps. She has had a wide range of experience in public service and the voluntary sector.
A huge thank you to each of them for joining us on this, our third episode.
December 2020: Richard Holden MP, Stuart Anderson MP and Will Hall
This month’s Conservative Friends of the Armed Forces podcast features two of the 2019 intake MP’s along with William Hall who talks to us about the recent spending announcement.
Our first guest is Richard Holden who was elected in December 2019. He has worked in both the public and private sectors, as well as in political campaigning. Most recently, before becoming an MP, he worked in the Department for Education as a Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for Education.
Stuart Anderson is our next guest. Stuart was a soldier in the British Army and conducted three operational tours. After he left he went into the Defence and security industry before being elected in 2019. Amongst other things, Stuart sits on the Defence Select Committee and is a member of the UK delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
William Hall is Deputy Chairman of South Oxfordshire Conservatives and the Oxfordshire Area Committee. A former Councillor, Will’s career has included advising companies and charities on large, complex infrastructure projects; defence issues; and education policy.
A huge thank you to each of them for joining us on this, our third episode.
November 2020: Sarah Atherton MP, Mark Menzies MP and Party Chairman Amanda Milling MP
This month’s Conservative Friends of the Armed Forces podcast features three Parliamentarians each with their own insight and focus on the Armed Forces.
First we hear from Sarah Atherton MP, then Mark Menzies MP and finally the Party Chairman, Amanda Milling.
Sarah Atherton is the first Conservative MP Wrexham has had since the constituency’s creation in 1918. She is the first female to represent Wrexham and the first female Conservative MP elected to Westminster representing a Welsh constituency.
As an Army veteran and member of the Defence Select Committee, Sarah has frequently spoken up for the rights of military personnel and has called for the end of vexatious claims against veterans. In addition, Sarah has recently been appointed as Vice-Chair to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Veterans. She has also been appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Wales Office.
Mark Menzies was first elected in 2010 as the Conservative MP for Fylde, winning the seat for the fourth time in the General Election of 2019. His main political priorities are UK energy security, changing the planning system to empower local communities and limit inappropriate development and ensuring a vibrant future for the defence industry within the UK. He has undertaken the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme and is a vocal advocate for the defence sector within the Party and the wider political sphere.
The Party Chairman Amanda Milling has a background in market research for the financial services sector. She was elected to Parliament in 2015 and represents the constituency of Cannock Chase. She has served on numerous Committees and Sub-Committees, been PPS to the FCO and was Deputy Chief Whip. She became the Party Chairman in 2020. Amanda has taken part in the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme and sites the Armed Forces, along with Business and enterprise and education and young people as her main areas of interest.
November is the month of Remembrance and we would be grateful if you are able to contribute to the Royal British Legion fundraising efforts this year. Please go to https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/poppy-appeal to find out more and donate. If you have enjoyed this podcast why not consider becoming a member.
October 2020: Hannah Jarvis, Jonny Ball and Daisy Peck
This month’s Conservative Friends of the Armed Forces podcast features three individuals with strong campaigning backgrounds- all of whom have served in the Army Reserve.
Hannah Jarvis has previously deployed overseas on Operations with the British Army as a Reservist. She has worked in Insurance and the civil service. She now works as a parliamentary caseworker for David TC Davis, is a School Governor and proud mum and is on the campaign trail as the Police and Crime Commisioner for Gwent. Find out more at www.hannahjarvis.org.uk
Jonny Ball has run campaigns at every level of government, from local to National & European elections. He led the MOD’s employer relationship management team and is a trusted networker within the veterans community, also consulting for large employers on their own veterans programs. His lengthy Army Reservist service includes operational tours of Northern Ireland and Afghanistan. He’s also the founder of Campaign Force.
Daisy Peck spent 6 years working in campaigns for the Conservative Party before joining Cicero as an account executive. She is also a Reservist in the Intelligence Corps and a keen supporter of Conservative Friends of the Armed Forces.
A huge thank you to each of them for joining us on this, our third episode.
August 2020: Ben Everitt MP and highlights from our panel discussion
On this months episode we are joined by Ben Everitt MP, the MP for Milton Keynes North and we have the audio from this month’s panel discussion.
Our first guest is Ben Everitt the Member of Parliament for Milton Keynes North. Ben was elected in 2019 to Mark Lancaster’s former seat. He previously served as a councillor on Aylesbury Vale District Council and was head of strategy at ICAEW. His previous roles include being a special adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister, working on various farms, grain trading and as a senior consultant for Deloitte.
Our Panel discussion was held in conjunction with the Conservative Policy Forum and Capita. Panelists James Sunderland MP, Cath Possamai and Ren Kapur MBE answered the question “Have we turned the corner in UK military recruitment and retention?” and answered and discussed questions from the panel. James Clark was the Chair.
July 2020: Darren Henry MP and Ren Kapur MBE
This month’s Conservative Friends of the Armed Forces podcast features two individuals who are committed to serving their country, be that in or out of uniform.
Darren Henry is the Member of Parliament for Broxtowe who gave his maiden speech in the House during Armed Forces Week. He formerly served 26 years in the Royal Air Force as a logistics officer.
Ren Kapoor MBE, the founder and CEO of X-Forces Enterprise, which supports members of the Armed Forces community, start-up businesses. Since 2013, X-Forces Enterprise has supported over 1250 business ventures launched by veterans, service leavers, reservists, cadets and/or family members.
A huge thank you to each of them for joining us on this, our third episode. If you’d like to learn more or become a member please go to www.cfarmdeforces.org for more information. For more on Darren please visit https://www.darrenhenry.org.uk/ and for more on Ren please visit www.x-forces.com.
June 2020: James Sunderland MP, Donna Gavin and Sean Howlett.
This month’s Conservative Friends of the Armed Forces podcast features three individuals each with their own individual link to the Armed Forces.
James Sunderland MP is the Member of Parliament for Bracknell who left the Army on winning his selection at the rank of Colonel.
Donna Gavin is a former Major who is on the candidates list and is spearheading @DigitalTories. As a former Royal Signaler she is taking part in the #RoyalSignals100 #100for100 challenge in June, where she will hike and run 100km across the Lake District in a single weekend. She’ll be wearing her Corps T-shirts and flying the flag to raise money for the Royal Signals Charity, improving the lives of serving signallers and disadvantage veterans. To sponsor her please click here.
Sean Howlett is a member who serves in the Army Reserve and is joining our operations team.
A huge thank you to each of them for joining us on this, our second episode.
04 May 2020:
This month’s Conservative Friends of the Armed Forces podcast features three individuals each with their own individual link to the Armed Forces.
Alicia Kearns MP is the Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton who prior to her career in politics worked across the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Shaun Bailey AM, the current Conservative candidate of Mayor of London cites his early experience in the cadets as having a huge impact on the rest of his life.
Ed McGuinness is a member who served as an Officer in the Royal Artillery and stood as a candidate in Hornsey and Wood Green in GE2019.
A huge thank you to each of them for joining us on this, our first episode. If you’d like to learn more or become a member please go to www.cfarmdeforces.org for more information