UK Minister for Defence Procurement, the Rt Hon Maria Eagle MP, made a welcome connection between national security and the UK’s economic fortunes yesterday.

The comment was made in response to a question asked by Conservative MP, Andrew Rosindell:

“To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he (sic) is taking to increase domestic defence production capabilities.”

Ms Eagle commented:

“This Government recognises the vital role of the defence industry in both keeping our country safe and in providing businesses, jobs, prosperity and tax in all corners of our United Kingdom.

“Our UK industry partners, of all sizes, are very much at the heart of our One Defence approach and we recognise the value that suppliers bring to the defence enterprise. That is why this Government is committed to bringing forward a Defence Industrial Strategy.

“The Defence Industrial Strategy will align our national security and economic priorities and will aim to create a better, bigger, more modern, connected, innovative, and resilient defence sector. It will also consider requirements for onshore production capability to ensure the UK has the industrial base needed to meet potential future threats.”

AERALIS has called for a more innovative, flexible and commercially-minded approach to defence. Founder and CEO, Tristan Crawford, commenting on AERALIS’s submission to the Strategy Defence Review last month, said:

“There is a win-win solution for the RAF, MOD and the Treasury on the table. The challenge of budget deficit and military need are not mutually exclusive – we’ve got a solution that helps both at the same time.”

We’re very pleased to be a part of this future defence landscape, and we thank Ms Eagle for her vocal support of the domestic defence industry.

The statement can be found on the Parliamentary website here: https://lnkd.in/dtCkBpWg