Oral Answers to Questions

Adam Dance Excerpts

Wednesday 26th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is right; the report is a sombre moment. It is important to remember the scale of suffering and the scale of the loss of life, which is made clear in the testimonies of the families in the report, and to remember the incredible contribution of frontline workers and everyone who focused on protecting others. We are committed to learning the lessons we need to learn from the covid inquiry to protect and prepare us for the future. The pandemic still weighs heavily on our public finances and our NHS. That is why we have already conducted a pandemic exercise to test preparedness, and agreed a historic global pandemic agreement to improve our ability to prevent global disease threats, alongside our partners.

[Adam Dance (Yeovil) (LD)]

Q6. I hope the Prime Minister will agree with me that the defence industry in Somerset is a key engine for growth, jobs and innovation. Leonardo in Yeovil is making fantastic progress with the Proteus uncrewed helicopter, but the future of that project, thousands of jobs at the site in Yeovil and the £320 million that Leonardo contributes to local GDP are dependent on the new medium helicopter contract. Will the Prime Minister reassure my constituents that he supports the industry in Yeovil, and will his Government finally get around to awarding this long overdue contract?

[The Prime Minister]

I pay tribute to those in Somerset and the hon. Gentleman’s constituency in the defence sector, which is hugely important to our country and our security. I can confirm that we are continuing with the established procurement process for the new medium helicopter programme to deliver modern equipment for our armed forces. That is part of the biggest sustained boost to our defence since the cold war. I am determined to see a defence dividend of investment in British jobs and apprentices, including in his constituency. That builds on the £8 billion Typhoon deal that we have secured, the £4 billion maritime deal with Indonesia, and the £10 billion frigate deal with Norway.