Defence spending will bring jobs and growth to Dudley, says MP

Sonia Kumar, Labour MP for Dudley, said the Government's announcement that it will increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent would benefit small and medium-sized businesses in her constituency.

She said small and medium-sized businesses serving the defence sector employed an estimated 17,820 jobs across the West Midlands, and the Government was committed to increasing that number by targeting its spending with smaller companies.

Miss Kumar said the investment would not just protect UK citizens from threats at home, but also create a secure and stable environment in which businesses could thrive, supporting the Government’s number one mission to deliver economic growth.   

"This is a chance for small, often family-owned, firms to bring their innovations, their agility and their expert workforce to the task of strengthening Britain’s defences," she said.

Miss Kumar said last year, just four per cent of direct Ministry of Defence spending was with small and medium-sized businesses. She said the new Labour government would increase that.

“The new Defence Industrial Strategy is an engine for jobs and growth in Dudley," she said. 

"We know that both are essential to put more money back into people’s pockets.”

Defence Secretary John Healey MP added: “This Government’s historic increase in defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by April 2027 will boost national security and make defence an engine for economic growth throughout the West Midlands.

"For too long small businesses felt locked out of defence, but we've listened and we're acting."