Oral Answers to Questions

Chris McDonald Excerpts

Monday 8th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Al Carns]

The right hon. Member raises an interesting point. Please write to me in due course with examples, and we will look into that, from a defence perspective.

[Chris McDonald (Stockton North) (Lab)]

T8. How will the defence industrial strategy, which is most welcome, ensure that more public money is spent with supply chain businesses in the UK—particularly those in the Teesside defence and innovation cluster in Stockton, Billingham and Norton?

[Luke Pollard]

There is a real opportunity to grow further the 2,000 directly supported defence jobs in the north-east. I am happy to speak to my hon. Friend further about that. May I encourage him to stay for the defence industrial strategy statement? He will hear about the further investment and opportunity that the Government hope to provide to every nation and region in the UK.