Strategic Defence Review Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence

Strategic Defence Review

Clive Efford Excerpts
Monday 2nd June 2025

(4 days, 20 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Healey Portrait John Healey
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At the heart of the SDR’s insight and recommendations is a new relationship between Government and industry—one that we have already started to put in place and that allows industry and potential investors to see the challenges that we face and contribute their ideas and innovation to solving them. That principle will be applied just as much in space as it will in other areas of new capabilities that we need to develop.

Clive Efford Portrait Clive Efford (Eltham and Chislehurst) (Lab)
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The procurement system that my right hon. Friend inherited from the Conservative party is in chaos, with only two major defence projects out of 49 being delivered on time. What is my right hon. Friend doing to get to grips with that situation? New technology needs to be delivered on time; otherwise, it risks being outdated by the time it is put into use.

John Healey Portrait John Healey
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My hon. Friend is right, and he is sitting next to my hon. Friend the Member for Hackney South and Shoreditch (Dame Meg Hillier), who chaired the Public Accounts Committee that quite rightly saw and branded the defence procurement system as “broken”. The overhaul required is a measure of the extent of the reform. We have begun that and we will complete it.