Defence and Security Industrial Strategy

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:49 pm on 23 March 2021.

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Photo of John Spellar John Spellar Labour, Warley 12:49, 23 March 2021

On the fleet solid support ships, the announcement is of course enormously welcome, but why has it taken us—particularly my right hon. Friend Mr Jones and I—so long to persuade Ministers to designate them as naval vessels, as they have done today? Similarly, it is good that we are moving away from global by default, but why not behave like every other industrial country by looking after our own industry and making it clear to officials right the way down the line that the policy is now British by default?