‘Whilst we welcome the increase in defence spending to 2.5% and the Prime Minister’s promise around investment, growth, jobs and skills, this needs to be matched with action’
The Government is being called upon to prioritise UK-made equipment as it ramps up defence spending.
Unite, the union, staged a Parliament lobby on Wednesday, advocating for increased expenditure to bolster British employment. The union is lobbying for a long-awaited decision to purchase UK-manufactured Typhoon aircraft instead of American F35s.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham voiced her stance at the lobby, saying: “Whilst we welcome the increase in defence spending to 2.5% and the Prime Minister’s promise around investment, growth, jobs and skills, this needs to be matched with action.
“There is an immediate decision to be made on the replacement of ageing RAF fighter jets with British-made Typhoons. This decision needs to made in the UK’s favour.”
She warned against any attempts to curry favour with Donald Trump by outsourcing defence jobs and replacing the RAF fleet with US-made F35s, labelling such a move as self-destructive. She added: “We simply can’t find ourselves in a situation where Trump wakes up in a bad mood and locks us out of using our own fighter jets.
“Every other partner country involved with the Typhoon is buying more Typhoons for their own defence. How can we expect other countries to buy British Typhoons if we are not buying them ourselves?”.
