Labour to vary guidelines to pressure MoD to purchase British tools
Labour will change procurement rules to force the Ministry of Defence to prioritise buying British equipment, the party has announced.
In a bid to grow the economy and ensure the Armed Forces have the kit they need, Sir Keir Starmer will set a high bar for any decisions to buy abroad.
Defence investment will be directed first to British business, and defence procurement will be used to strengthen UK sovereignty, security and economic growth, Labour pledged.
Sir Keir told the Mail last night that he would ‘always do and spend what’s required to keep our country safe’, as he accused the Tories of being ‘too ready to buy abroad’.
He said the Conservatives have been ‘selling British businesses and British jobs short’.
Keir Starmer has today announced Labour will change procurement rules to force the Ministry of Defence to prioritise buying British equipment
Pictured: A British Army WAH-64D Apache AH1 Attack helicopter
Grant Shapps leaves Downing Street after attending a weekly cabinet meeting on July 4, 2023
In the National Shipbuilding Strategy in 2017, the Government said it had a ‘duty to ensure that public funds achieve the best value for money for the taxpayer’.
But since then, the Ministry of Defence has bought new guns from abroad and looked to the US for new missiles for Apache helicopters.
Labour has pledged to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence as soon as possible, though the Tories have said they will reach this goal by 2030.
Sir Keir told the Mail: ‘The changed Labour Party I lead knows that our nation’s defence must always come first.
‘We will always do and spend what’s required to keep our country safe. We will secure Britain’s future for the long term with our plans to build more Armed Forces kit in the UK.
‘The Conservatives have been too ready to buy abroad – selling British businesses and British jobs short.
‘They’ve failed to make the best use of the UK’s defence industry as a way of growing our economy and making sure our forces have the kit they need to fight and fulfil our NATO obligations.
‘At a time of rising threats, it is vital we have the industry and jobs that are needed to make sure our forces have the kit they need to deter – and if necessary, defeat those who would seek to do us harm.
British Army soldiers from the 12th Armoured Brigade Combat Team sit on the Warrior infantry fighting vehicles during a NATO Exercise in Poland
‘Labour is committed to strengthening our national defences and supporting our Armed Forces. Strong national defence is the secure foundation on which Labour’s mission driven government will be built. To deliver this long-term security, Labour will set a higher bar for any decisions to buy abroad.
‘We will use defence procurement to bolster our UK sovereignty, security and economic growth with a strong defence industrial strategy to ensure investment in defence procurement delivers growth.’
The pledge comes after Labour promised a ‘triple lock’ on the nuclear deterrent to protect the Britain of the future.
Sir Keir pledged to build all four new Dreadnought nuclear subs in the UK, maintain Britain’s continuous at sea nuclear deterrent, and deliver all future upgrades needed.
He told the Mail in April: ‘Make no mistake, this is a generational, multi-decade commitment. Not only is this about defending our land and our NATO allies, it’s also defending our economy – prioritising British jobs, British skills and much-needed economic growth here on our shores.’
