Adam Thompson
Main Page: Adam Thompson (Labour - Erewash)Department Debates - View all Adam Thompson's debates with the Cabinet Office
(1 day, 14 hours ago)
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Darren Jones
I congratulate my hon. Friend on being such a champion for his constituency. I am sure that he will agree with me, and certainly with those of us on the Government Benches, that the previous Conservative Government failed the Isle of Wight, as well as the whole country, during their 14 years in office. This Administration have launched a “test, learn and grow” programme so that the Government can work more closely with local partners to test and innovate on the design of public services more locally in the places where people need them. Given my hon. Friend’s keen interest in those approaches, I will arrange for him to engage with the TLG network within my Department and will be in touch in due course.
Adam Thompson (Erewash) (Lab)
The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Dan Jarvis)
The Cabinet Office is driving implementation of the national security strategy. At CyberUK yesterday, I called on AI companies and innovators to work with the Government to build national-scale AI cyber-defence capabilities, and announced that a further £90 million will be invested to boost cyber-resilience. I also visited His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde, where the Government are investing £250 million to strengthen our national security and deter our adversaries.
Adam Thompson
Happy St George’s day, Mr Speaker. Erewash is home to many workers whose labour is vital to national security, employed at firms such as Rolls-Royce or at our many small and medium-sized advanced manufacturers, building things like jet engine parts. Although we have broadly been kept out of Donald Trump’s war on Iran, many global threats still loom. What steps will the Government take to protect British workers and secure supply chains for the UK defence industry?
Dan Jarvis
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that important point. The UK’s defence industry is a cornerstone of our national security and an engine for growth. We are committed to spending £2.5 billion more with defence SMEs and recently launched the Defence Office for Small Business Growth, a key driver to improve SME access to defence opportunities. The £31 billion that we spend annually with the defence industry in the UK powers over 460,000 jobs and 24,000 apprenticeships nationwide, including many high-quality roles in the east midlands.