Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative MP for Huntingdon, asked the government to explain a loss recorded in the Ministry of Defence annual report and accounts for 2025 to 2026.
Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said the fruitless payment of £1.039 million covered assets bought under a short-term contract handled through the department’s ordinary procedures. The work included a due diligence visit that checked manufacturing capacity, the supply chain and whether the order could be delivered.
Pollard said the purchase belonged to a project that drew in several government bodies and was therefore more complex. Polish authorities later seized the assets while running their own inquiry into the supplier. He said that inquiry was separate from the ministry’s buying. The goods were not handed back, and the department was unable to recover them.