Luke Pollard
Current Employer/Organisation Name
House of Commons
What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?
I’ve been fortunate to have a career doing jobs I have loved. After Exeter I worked in children’s television which was great fun. Most of my career has been in the private sector working for companies large and small advising on controversial issues. This included time at Edelman, ABTA and Field Consulting where I worked with firms building skyscrapers and football stadiums. I was elected as the Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport at the 2017 General Election and since July 2024 have been a Minister in the Ministry of Defence.
Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?
I’ve had a few careers and I’ve been fortunate to do jobs I love that make a difference. I got into politics to change the world and although there can be frustrating days, there have been many rewarding ones where you can see lives changed for the better, wrongs righted and the city I represent get materially better.
Please tell us if you were a member of any societies, groups or sports clubs?
I threw myself into student life. Prior to being elected Guild President I had been the Guild’s Campaigns Officer, worked in the Ram and the Lemmy behind the bar, captained intra-mural football, hockey and rounders teams and was on the committee of the Politics Society.
What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?
It certainly wasn’t the philosophy courses, which I felt had no utility in modern life, only to be proven wrong by example after example where an analysis of robust political thought was needed in role after role I’ve held subsequently. It was the staff that made my course and I’ll remember Bill Tupman, a bearded expert hippie of a man, taking us to do our seminars in the pub rather than in Amory Building. I learnt more in there than anywhere else.
What did you most enjoy about studying here?
The campus, the lifelong friends, the drunken nights in the Lemmy, the victories on the hockey pitch, the frequent losses at Duck’s meadow in the footy, the work and even the hills. I loved my time at Exeter and it shaped me into the person I am today.
Why did you choose to study at Exeter?
As a Devon lad I wanted to stay in the south west for uni and from the first open day I visited Streatham campus despite the torrential rain, I fell head over heels for Exeter and the University.
What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?
As a frontline politician you’d expect me say my Politics degree has helped me the most, but actually, it was the time in Guild of Students meetings, campaigning on issues that mattered to students and working in the campus bars that shaped my approach to my career more. My degree gave me a fundamental understanding of the political world, but to appreciate the course you need to live outside the library as much as studying over journals and texts. At Exeter, I managed to do both.
What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?
Get stuck in. When I started out I was book smart. I knew processes and policies but you’ll find your feet more, craft your own sense of your place in the world and what you want to do to change it not by observing from the sidelines but by getting involved. Whether that’s frontline politics, standing for elections, knocking doors, writing, creating content or challenging political thought you will learn more, be more fulfilled and excel when you step out of your comfort zone. And you’ll make mistakes, lots of them. The trick is to learn from them, not hide from them.
What are your plans for the future?
As the Minister responsible for preparing Britain for war, to deter aggression but to be ready to defeat it if necessary. My immediate plans are to keep our nation safe, rebuild our forces and invest in our defences.
