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To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the economic impact of the Defence Investment Plan by region.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the economic impact of the Defence Investment Plan by region.
The Defence Investment Plan sets out how the Government's increased investment in defence capability, infrastructure and innovation will strengthen national security while supporting economic growth across the UK.
While the Defence Investment Plan was not designed to provide a regional breakdown of economic impacts, the substantial investments it outlines, together with Defence’s extensive footprint across the UK, supports jobs, industry and economic growth in every nation and region. By 2029-30, defence investment is expected to support up to 60,000 additional jobs across the United Kingdom.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether all RAF Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 Typhoon aircraft are expected to receive the full package of capability upgrades announced in the Defence Investment Plan.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether all RAF Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 Typhoon aircraft are expected to receive the full package of capability upgrades announced in the Defence Investment Plan.
Both Tranches of UK Typhoon are being upgraded, and there is no change to the previously stated intention. 40 Tranche 3 aircraft will receive the new radar, ECRS2, and the fleet of both Tranche 2 and 3 aircraft will receive the upgrades to communications and avionics, cockpit interface, and helmet mounted sighting system.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many RAF Typhoon aircraft are planned to receive European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 radars under the Defence Investment Plan; and what the planned delivery timetable is for those radars.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many RAF Typhoon aircraft are planned to receive European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 radars under the Defence Investment Plan; and what the planned delivery timetable is for those radars.
40 RAF Typhoon aircraft will receive the European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 upgrade. We expect the radar in service with the RAF before the end of the decade.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs supported by the Typhoon upgrade programme in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Scotland, (c) Lancashire and (d) the wider UK defence supply chain.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs supported by the Typhoon upgrade programme in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Scotland, (c) Lancashire and (d) the wider UK defence supply chain.
In January 2026 the department announced that it had committed over £650 million to upgrade the RAF’s Typhoon fighter jet fleet, securing over 1,500 jobs across the UK. This includes around 300 skilled roles in Edinburgh and secures 120 jobs in Lancashire.
The full Typhoon programme supports more than 20,000 jobs across 330 UK companies.
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the implications for the UK's NATO commitments of current planned levels of defence expenditure.
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the implications for the UK's NATO commitments of current planned levels of defence expenditure.
The Defence Investment Plan is backed by nearly £300bn of investment of the next four years, meaning the UK will now spend 2.7% of GDP on core NATO defence spending by 2027-28. Funding and plans for increasing defence spending to 3% of GDP in the next Parliament will be set out at the next spending review, where defence will be the number one priority
Alongside NATO allies, the UK has committed to reach 3.5% of GDP on defence spending by 2035, meeting its obligations to the Defence Investment Pledge. All allies will review trajectory and spend in 2029, when NATO next reviews its capability plans.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any Ministry of Defence programmes have been delayed, cancelled or rescoped as a consequence of budgetary constraints since July 2024.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any Ministry of Defence programmes have been delayed, cancelled or rescoped as a consequence of budgetary constraints since July 2024.
Since July 2024, the Department has not recorded any programme cancellations that were directly attributable to budgetary constraints. However, the Ministry of Defence routinely reviews its programme portfolio to ensure the Armed Forces receive the capabilities they need while delivering value for money for taxpayers.
As part of normal portfolio management, programme schedules, scope and investment profiles are regularly assessed and adjusted in light of factors such as operational priorities, capability requirements, affordability, industrial considerations, and delivery risks.
This work also informs the Defence Investment Plan and future spending settlements, helping to ensure resources remain aligned with the Government’s defence priorities and that Defence is affordable and sustainable. Decisions on individual programmes are taken on a case-by-case basis, and any approved changes are managed through established governance processes to maintain the delivery of capabilities needed to meet current and future threats.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to publish the Defence Investment Plan on armed forces morale.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to publish the Defence Investment Plan on armed forces morale.
Work to finalise the Defence Investment Plan is continuing at pace, and the Prime Minister has been clear that he is determined to publish the DIP before the NATO summit in July.
Morale in the Armed Forces increased in the last survey, and we have announced the biggest pay rise in over 20 years and the biggest investment in military housing for over half a century.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any of the courses funded by the Strategic Priorities Grant will require students to obtain security clearance.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any of the courses funded by the Strategic Priorities Grant will require students to obtain security clearance.
The Strategic Priorities Grant funds additional capacity from home-fee students in level 4 to 6 engineering and computing courses. The nature of these undergraduate degrees and technical qualifications does not require access to classified information and, therefore, security clearance for students is not needed.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the geographical distribution of the additional student places funded through the Strategic Priorities Grant competition.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the geographical distribution of the additional student places funded through the Strategic Priorities Grant competition.
As part of the Defence Industrial Strategy skills package, the Ministry of Defence is investing £80 million into the Strategic Priorities Grant. This is administered by the Office for Students (OfS), who are responsible for designing and evaluating the competition as an independent, impartial body. All eligible Higher Education institutions in England were able to apply.
After 112 bids were received in the competition, the OfS have allocated this funding to 24 colleges and universities across England. This regional spread will ensure that a wide spectrum of students and the defence industry will benefit from this funding, helping to drive regional growth.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Swedish fighter jet deal on defence jobs in (i) the UK and (ii) Lancashire.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Swedish fighter jet deal on defence jobs in (i) the UK and (ii) Lancashire.
The Sweden-led export of Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine will provide Ukrainian forces with modern, agile, and highly capable multirole air combat platforms. It also represents a step change in defence industrial cooperation. This initiative will strengthen both economic and military resilience by reinforcing international supply chains and creating opportunities for future innovation. At least 50 UK-based companies—from Saab UK in Fareham to Leonardo UK in Edinburgh—are expected to be involved in the deal, supporting more than 5,000 UK jobs. Lancashire will also benefit from the investment, as local companies contribute to Gripen airframe and installation activity.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Government backing future British defence unicorns published on 19 May 2026, what steps he is taking to ensure fair competition between established firms and defence unicorns.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Government backing future British defence unicorns published on 19 May 2026, what steps he is taking to ensure fair competition between established firms and defence unicorns.
The defence unicorns were selected by the Defence Secretary through the Commercial X function to deliver specific projects which align strongly with the objectives of the Defence Industrial Strategy, including the need to innovate at wartime pace, grow the United Kingdom (UK) industrial base, and position the UK at the leading edge of defence innovation. The firms were also selected based on their potential to grow significantly in the coming years. Any future contract awards will be subject to procurement regulations as well as assessments of frontline need, technical and operational capability and defence investment priorities.
The Defence Office for Small Business Growth is working in parallel to remove or reduce barriers for small businesses in the defence sector, from lengthy procurement cycles, to disproportionate terms and conditions, all with a view to strengthening our national resilience and driving localised growth.
FalconWorks, which is part of the BAE Systems family and the enterprise zone at Warton, has been at the cutting edge of learning the lessons from rapid deployment and redesign of unmanned aircraft in Ukraine. A key part of that is including the pre-investment in research and development as part of the procurement of defence systems. Will the Minister commit to continuing to work with companies such as FalconWorks that support huge numbers of jobs in Fylde and across Lancashire?
FalconWorks, which is part of the BAE Systems family and the enterprise zone at Warton, has been at the cutting edge of learning the lessons from rapid deployment and redesign of unmanned aircraft in Ukraine. A key part of that is including the pre-investment in research and development as part of the procurement of defence systems. Will the Minister commit to continuing to work with companies such as FalconWorks that support huge numbers of jobs in Fylde and across Lancashire?
I join the hon. Gentleman in commending FalconWorks and BAE Systems for their innovation. The Government have established UK Defence Innovation, with a £400 million annual budget to support innovation. That is making a difference in bringing more innovation to the market as well as dual-use potential. We will continue to invest in that, just as we set out that 10% of our equipment budget will be spent on novel technologies, helping to drive the latest kit and equipment for our troops.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons the Defence Investment Plan has not yet been published.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons the Defence Investment Plan has not yet been published.
We are working to finalise the Defence Investment Plan (DIP). We will publish it as soon as we can, but our aim is to ensure decisions in the DIP are robust and support the development of both current and future capabilities, helping to drive the transformation of our Armed Forces described in the Strategic Defence Review.
In the meantime, routine budget management and prioritisation decisions in the Ministry of Defence are being conducted in a way that is coherent with the DIP.
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with European counterparts on the development of international finance partnerships to support defence and security cooperation.
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with European counterparts on the development of international finance partnerships to support defence and security cooperation.
Challenging times for global and European security call for novel solutions, which is why the UK is working with Finland, the Netherlands and other likeminded NATO allies on collective defence financing and procurement, exploring a new mechanism to support this by 2027.
Together, we can accelerate standardisation, expand industrial capacity and drive greater deterrence to meet our shared defence and security commitments.
To ask the Leader of the House, what mechanisms are available to members of the House of Commons to scrutinise Gordon Brown in his role as the Prime Minister’s Special Reviewer on Global Finance and Cooperation.
To ask the Leader of the House, what mechanisms are available to members of the House of Commons to scrutinise Gordon Brown in his role as the Prime Minister’s Special Reviewer on Global Finance and Cooperation.
Ministers have a duty to Parliament to account, and be held to account, for the policies, decisions and actions of their departments and agencies. Individual ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the Direct Ministerial Appointments they make. Members have a number of mechanisms available to them to hold Ministers to account, such as oral and written questions and correspondence.
On that Chorley and Lancashire theme, it will not be possible to increase the defence skills in this country if the defence jobs of the future are not secure in that pipeline. I was delighted to hear the Secretary of State talk earlier about British jobs, British industry and British innovation—he can probably gather where this is going, judging from the whispering on the Government Front Bench—so I was confused when there was bragging about ordering from British companies for defence as to why American F-35s were ordered, not British Typhoons. Given that we will need around 100 aircraft to maintain the workforce at Warton for Tempest in the future, I assume, whenever the defence investment plan is finally published, we will see an order of 25 Typhoons for the RAF within it.
On that Chorley and Lancashire theme, it will not be possible to increase the defence skills in this country if the defence jobs of the future are not secure in that pipeline. I was delighted to hear the Secretary of State talk earlier about British jobs, British industry and British innovation—he can probably gather where this is going, judging from the whispering on the Government Front Bench—so I was confused when there was bragging about ordering from British companies for defence as to why American F-35s were ordered, not British Typhoons. Given that we will need around 100 aircraft to maintain the workforce at Warton for Tempest in the future, I assume, whenever the defence investment plan is finally published, we will see an order of 25 Typhoons for the RAF within it.
In the hon. Gentleman’s haste to make an attack on the Government, he forgot to welcome the multibillion-pound deal we secured with Türkiye to build Typhoons in his constituency. We have had a 15% increase in defence in the north-west of England since the first year of this Labour Government, but he is right that we need to make sure we are investing in skills to deliver the defence industrial base. That is precisely why the Government are investing in skills and why we are supporting British businesses. He will also know that the F-35, as well as the Typhoon, contributes many jobs to the north-west—I believe many of them very close to his constituency.
Earlier I asked the Secretary of State if he would confirm an order of 25 Typhoons for the RAF after claiming the Government were backing British jobs, but the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry deployed the power of waffle to avoid answering the question. Just to be absolutely clear, I did welcome Turkey’s order of Typhoons, but, as I know and as he knows, it will not come anywhere near close to closing the skills gap between now and Tempest. Would the Secretary of State like to clarify this: will there be an order of 25 Typhoons for the RAF in the defence investment plan?
Earlier I asked the Secretary of State if he would confirm an order of 25 Typhoons for the RAF after claiming the Government were backing British jobs, but the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry deployed the power of waffle to avoid answering the question. Just to be absolutely clear, I did welcome Turkey’s order of Typhoons, but, as I know and as he knows, it will not come anywhere near close to closing the skills gap between now and Tempest. Would the Secretary of State like to clarify this: will there be an order of 25 Typhoons for the RAF in the defence investment plan?
My hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry did not just mention the record export deal that we managed to secure with Turkey—£8 billion-worth that will be boosting the British economy, principally in the hon. Gentleman’s part of the north-west. The hon. Gentleman also fails to welcome the investment of half a billion pounds in new radars for the Typhoons. This is part of building up our UK defence base and part of a 15% increase under this Government in defence investment going to his region.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling existing defence-manufacturing clusters in the North West, including aerospace and advanced materials firms, to contribute to the planned ‘always on’ munitions pipeline.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling existing defence-manufacturing clusters in the North West, including aerospace and advanced materials firms, to contribute to the planned ‘always on’ munitions pipeline.
We are committed to ensuring the Defence industry is an engine for growth through strengthened industrial relationships and domestic investment. As published in the UK Defence Footprint the North West region has seen £4.8 billion of Defence spending in 2024-25. We have committed £6 billion this Parliament towards munitions, as outlined in the Strategic Defence Review 2025, which supports defence capacity whilst generating local jobs and economic prosperity. This investment includes £1.5 billion for building six new energetics and munitions factories in the UK to deliver an 'always on' pipeline, locations and arrangements of which are being assessed through ongoing work. Whilst it is currently premature to comment on specific site proposals and their assessment, more detail will be available once the necessary preparatory work has been completed.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2025 to Question 76091 on Defence: Plymouth and Yorkshire, when his Department plans to announce the next wave of regions eligible for Defence Growth Deals; and whether the same assessment criteria will apply.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2025 to Question 76091 on Defence: Plymouth and Yorkshire, when his Department plans to announce the next wave of regions eligible for Defence Growth Deals; and whether the same assessment criteria will apply.
Any additional Defence Growth Deals will be announced, should fiscal and economic circumstances permit in the next Parliament, the selection of eligible regions will be informedby the assessment criteria for Defence Growth Deals. This criteria will be robustly assessed against our ambitions set out in the plan for change to increase living standards in every region and nation in the UK and making Defence an Engine for Growth.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2025 to Question 76091 on Defence: Plymouth and Yorkshire, whether his Department conducted a public consultation or engaged with local stakeholders before selecting the initial five regions.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2025 to Question 76091 on Defence: Plymouth and Yorkshire, whether his Department conducted a public consultation or engaged with local stakeholders before selecting the initial five regions.
Prior to the launch of the Defence Industrial Strategy, the Department conducted a public consultation with over 200 responses and there was significant engagement and collaboration between local and national government officials to identify and develop specific proposals for each nation and region.