Sarah Edwards

Sarah Edwards

Labour — Tamworth

Speaking in the House of Commons on 19 March 2025

Debate

Defence Industries: West Midlands

Contribution

I absolutely agree. We have to back British, we have to buy British, and we have to keep the west midlands in pole position, innovating and ensuring that companies working across civil and defence can get the maximum benefit from the new procurement contracts coming from the MOD. A comprehensive review of the UK supply chain is essential to ensure that SMEs have visibility and fair access to Government contracts. Smaller businesses often struggle to break into large procurement processes dominated by major players, and access to funding is difficult. Again, the annual funding cycles were cited by Flare Bright and Gibson Robotics as problematic for growing SMEs in the evidence we heard yesterday.

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