Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Spellar (Labour). It was answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Labour) on Tuesday, 7 July 2026.

British Industry and Services: Public Procurement

Question: To ask His Majesty’s Government what is their policy on prioritising British industry and services when carrying out public procurement.

Answer: My Lords, on 26 March, the Government announced procurement reforms to protect our national security, boost growth and build a fairer economy. We have now moved from policy direction to delivery. As of last month, government departments can make use of the national security exemption in the Procurement Act 2023, where relevant. We also introduced a public interest test for departments to formally assess whether their services can be delivered more effectively in-house and have requested all government departments to develop insourcing plans.

Secondary information