Prospect stands up for our defence members at TUC Congress 2026

For the second year in a row, Prospect has strongly defended our defence members at TUC Congress, after a controversial ‘wages not weapons’ motion was brought back, even though a similar motion had been carried last year.

Mike Clancy at TUC Congress 2026

Speaking to oppose Motion 75, proposed by the University and College Union, as it was at TUC Congress 2025, Prospect General Secretary Mike Clancy, said:

“I don’t want to be here up here speaking about this, certainly not for the second year running. That’s because I reject the premise of the motion.

“I absolutely recognise the crisis in further and higher education; absolutely recognise there’s a crisis in our schools; absolutely recognise that we have to rebuild our public services; and I absolutely recognise that our members in the MOD are public servants.”

However, he continued:

“Solidarity is a two-way street and when working people are united, we can resolve our problems together.

“Bringing this again, after the policy point was won last year, runs the risk that you are hanging a sign outside Congress House: Defence workers are not welcome here.”

“What next? Nuclear workers? Because this trade union movement is full of people who do important things for our nation, which are sometimes controversial.”

Delegates from GMB, Unite and Community also spoke in opposition to the motion. Many said that the spirit of the motion ran contrary to this year’s Congress slogan of “Unity Works.”

Moreover, it was repeatedly pointed out that choosing between public services and defence spending was a false choice because “government spending is not like a household budget”; defence investment was also a direct investment in jobs, skills and local communities.

In closing, Mike Clancy, said:

“If you reject the idea that we need to invest in our defences, in terms of the new threats that are out there in terms of security and global change, then what number are you putting on defence spending?”

“Support defence workers, support all workers, and don’t make false distinctions in terms of those that we value in this trade union movement.”

Speaking to propose the motion, Jo Grady of the University and College Union, said that the “priority should be investing in working people, rather than the military.”

She added that last year’s motion didn’t go far enough because since then there had been further wars of aggression.

The motion was carried by a slim majority.

Prospect at TUC Congress 2026:

TUC Congress 2026: Reps speak out on the BBC, AI, reindustrialisation and workplace fatigue

Unions back Prospect motion to send message to government on EU ‘red lines’

Prospect reps make your voices heard on first full day of TUC Congress 2026

Catch up on Congress 2026 speeches, reports and more at TUC Congress 2026.