Extracts from Commons debate on UK Defence Spending - June 24
Friday, 25 June 2021 08:05
Jack Lopresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke) (Con):...I am proud to
represent and serve an area that plays a major role in the defence
of our country; there are 8,000 dedicated public servants at MOD
Abbey Wood; Defence Equipment and Support does a great job in
ensuring that our forces have the equipment they need. My
constituency is also at the heart of one of the largest aerospace
clusters in Europe; defence contractors such as Airbus, BAE
Systems, Boeing, MBDA, Rolls-Royce and Thales to name...Request free trial
(Filton and Bradley Stoke) (Con):...I am proud to
represent and serve an area that plays a major role in the defence
of our country; there are 8,000 dedicated public servants at MOD
Abbey Wood; Defence Equipment and Support does a great job in
ensuring that our forces have the equipment they need. My
constituency is also at the heart of one of the largest aerospace
clusters in Europe; defence contractors such as Airbus, BAE
Systems, Boeing, MBDA, Rolls-Royce and Thales to name just a
few provide highly skilled jobs in my constituency and throughout
the wider south-west region and support a large number of jobs in
the supply chain. At least 30,000 jobs are supported by defence
spend alone in the south-west region. The MOD already spends £20
billion with industry and commerce, and defence directly or
indirectly supports 207,000 jobs. This additional funding from the
Government will also benefit the wider economy throughout our
country...
(Birkenhead) (Lab) [V]:...This must begin
with the bidding process for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s new fleet
solid support ships. With the competition now open, I call on the
Minister to provide a cast-iron guarantee that these vessels will
be built and designed in their entirety in the UK. At the moment,
the Government are allowing bidders to work with international
partners as long as the ships are integrated in a UK shipyard. This
simply is not good enough. As the GMB and Confederation of
Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions have warned, it risks leaving
the lions’ share of the work to be offshored, with UK workers and
companies missing out. I therefore call on the Minister to ensure
that the contract is awarded to the Team UK consortium, comprising
Babcock International, Rolls-Royce BAE Systems and
Cammell Laird. This would guarantee or create at least 6,500 jobs
across the UK, as well as countless more along the wider supply
lines, and of the £800 million spent by the Ministry of Defence, at
least £250 million would be returned to the Treasury in the form of
income tax, national insurance contributions and lower welfare
payments. The choice is simple...
To read the whole debate, CLICK
HERE
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