In a shocking display of patriotism that somehow required an official announcement, Defence Secretary John Healey has declared that the UK will now use national security exemptions to prioritise British companies when awarding defence contracts. Speaking at the GMB Union's congress on Tuesday, Healey revealed plans to give British firms a leg up in procurement decisions, describing the new approach as "unashamedly pro-Britain" - a phrase that suggests previous approaches might have been, well, ashamed of the concept.
The announcement comes as the government faces mounting pressure to publish its long-delayed defence investment plan, a document that has been causing more anxiety than a surprise inspection at a nuclear facility. Unions and defence firms have warned that the continued delay threatens British jobs, skills, and national security, which seems like a fairly comprehensive set of things you'd want to protect.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has also expressed frustration that too many government contracts are going abroad, telling cabinet ministers last month they must do more to prioritise investment in Britain. Healey echoed this sentiment, saying the chancellor was "right recently when she said we need to buy British" - a statement so obvious it could have been printed on a commemorative teacup.
Healey outlined plans to change the "toothless" procurement system, promising to give credit in future defence contract decisions to British-based companies with a "genuine, substantive presence in Britain and long-term commitments to British communities and British supply chains." The government will also make greater use of national security exemptions under the Procurement Act 2023, which allows contracts to bypass formal competitive tendering rules entirely.
If a defence contract is "sent overseas," Healey said the industry will be required to create jobs in the UK in what he called a "British offset" - essentially the defence equivalent of saying, "Fine, but you have to build something here too."
The announcement follows Reeves' letter to every cabinet minister urging them to "buy British" wherever possible, highlighting key sectors like shipbuilding, steel, AI, and energy infrastructure. Reeves argued that current global tensions show the need for resilience in critical sectors, which is diplomatic shorthand for "we're running out of things to buy domestically."
The timing is particularly urgent for the defence industry. Last week, ADS chief executive Kevin Craven told the BBC that British businesses were "really struggling" as they await the government's defence investment plan. "We have seen firms either moving out of the sector or changing direction and it will continue, no question about that," he said.
Aeralis, a British aerospace company developing a replacement for the Red Arrows fighter jet, went into administration last month. The administrators cited "continued delays to the UK defence investment plan, combined with geopolitical factors affecting sources of funding" - a fancy way of saying the company ran out of money while waiting for the government to decide what it wants.
The defence investment plan, initially expected to be published in autumn 2025, may now appear before a Nato summit next month. But there's still internal wrangling over how much extra money to allocate to defence, with reports suggesting the Ministry of Defence believes it needs an additional £28bn to meet its commitments. Because nothing says "national security" like a government that can't agree on how much to spend on it.