Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Defence Spending

Wednesday 5 March 2025 · 1 question

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Jack Rankin highlighted the role of Scotland's defence industry in rebuilding Britain's military capabilities.
  • The Minister thanked Rankin for supporting the Prime Minister's actions on Ukraine and defence.
  • Scotland's political leaders are encouraged to support the country's defence industry.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Jack Rankin Con Windsor
Defence Scotland
Context

The MP raised concerns about the disparity in investment for Scotland’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) compared to other parts of the United Kingdom. He highlighted that Scotland's defence SMEs receive only 2.5% of the total Ministry of Defence (MOD) spending, attributing this shortfall to a hostile environment created by the Scottish National party.

Question

Scotland’s world-class defence industry will play a key role in rebuilding Britain’s military capabilities, and during my visit to Babcock at Rosyth I saw at first hand how defence spending benefits Scotland’s small and medium-sized enterprises. However, investment in Scotland’s defence SMEs lags far behind that in the rest of the United Kingdom, accounting for just 2.5% of the total spending of the Ministry of Defence, largely owing to the hostile environment created by the Scottish National party. How is the Secretary of State working with the MOD and Scotland’s defence industry to unleash Scotland’s SMEs and enhance our nation’s defence capabilities?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Scotland (Ian Murray)

I thank the hon. Gentleman for the cross-party support for the Prime Minister’s actions on Ukraine and, indeed, defence. Scotland needs all its political leaders to stand up proudly for our defence industry. Scotland has led the UK in defence, and has been home to its nuclear deterrent since the 1960s. I recently hosted a defence industry roundtable to discuss sector priorities and opportunities, and, as part of our Brand Scotland programme, I have discussed those in Norway and south-east Asia. I welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement of new SME spending targets for defence, which will boost access to UK defence investment, unlocking new jobs in the process.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Secretary of State did not provide specific details on how he is working with the MOD and Scotland's defence industry to increase investment in SMEs.

How: Cross-Party Support, Pride In Defence

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