Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to increase the pay of soldiers, in the context of planned increases in defence spending.

Pay is an important part of a comprehensive benefits package to our Service personnel including subsided food and housing; together, these play a vital role in supporting wider recruitment and retention.

Pay for most frontline public sector workforces, including the Armed Forces, is set through an independent Pay Review Body process. These independent bodies consider a range of evidence when forming their recommendations and then submit reports to the Government, which considers them before announcing final settlements.

The Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body submitted its report to the government on 10 April 2025. The Government will now carefully consider the recommendations before publishing the report and the Government’s response to it, recognising the importance of giving certainty on 2025-26 pay settlements as early as possible.