Mr Calvin Bailey

I thank the hon. and gallant Member for Dorking and Horley (Chris Coghlan) for securing this debate and for his continued interest in the role that research and development can play in strengthening our national security and economy. He spoke passionately about his grandparents, about the impact of technology during the war and about the innovations that brought about the victories that ensured our democratic freedoms in the nation we both grew up in. It was a powerful testament to his commitment to democracy. I will share with the hon. Member how highly the Department spoke of him and his work in the run-up to this Bill debate. As a member of the Treasury Committee and a steadfast advocate for innovation-led growth, he has made a valuable contribution to this discussion. This debate comes at a particularly important moment. The world is becoming more contested, more technologically competitive and more uncertain. Emerging technologies, from artificial technologies and quantum computing to advanced cyber capabilities and autonomous systems, are transforming the character of warfare and the nature of economic competition. In this environment defence research and development is not a luxury; it is a necessity. It is how we maintain operational advantage and keep our armed forces ready to face the challenges of the future. More than military capability, it is a catalyst for economic growth, industrial resilience and technological leadership. Innovation must sit at the heart of our national security strategy and our growth agenda. In the 2025 strategic defence review, we set ourselves the goal of the UK becoming a technologically enabled defence power innovating in priority areas, including AI, cyber, space and quantum at a wartime pace. Building on that, the defence industrial strategy recognised that investing in our innovation ecosystem is not simply a security imperative, but a significant opportunity to create jobs, as the hon. Member made very clear. It is central to growing businesses and strengthening our regional economies. Most recently, the defence investment plan provided a clear direction of travel for defence spending. It sent a signal to industry, investors and research institutions about the technologies and capabilities that we intend to prioritise. The plan marks a shift towards readiness and resilience at scale. It combines high-cost and low-cost equipment and integrated networks that make the most of crewed and uncrewed platforms. That commitment must be backed by investment. In answer to the question about whether we are scaling productivity, the Ministry of Defence’s research and development budget will exceed £2 billion in 2026-27 and will rise in each subsequent year. Defence R&D expenditure reached approximately £3.1 billion in 2024-25, representing a significant real-terms increase on the previous year.