L

Lord Coaker (Lab)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 16 June 2025

Debate

Defence Industrial Base

Contribution

There used to be something called the Defence Suppliers Forum, but it did not include SMEs. We have established the Defence Industrial Joint Council, which, as well as big industry—the primes—will include small and medium-sized businesses. The noble Baroness makes a good point; another thing we have learned from Ukraine is the agility and adaptability of small companies and businesses, which have shown their worth—clearly, we need to grow them. The number of small and medium-sized companies will grow over the next few years through the Government’s determination to grow all sectors, including the SME sector.

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