British Military Equipment: Chinese Components

Lord Howell of Guildford Excerpts

Wednesday 25th February 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Stirrup (CB)]

My Lords—

[Lord Howell of Guildford (Con)]

My Lords—

[Lord McColl of Dulwich (Con)]

My Lords—

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Lemos (Lab)]

I think my noble friend Lord Coaker has run out of ways to say, “It’ll be along soon”, so perhaps I should just say, “It’ll be along soon”. On the wider question that the noble and gallant Lord raises, it is absolutely true that these components are central, not just to defence industries, as he knows, but to the whole economy—to phones, laptops and all sorts of things. That is why the Government are putting such effort and such energy into a more resilient and sustainable supply chain. I can say, even in advance of the defence investment plan, that we have committed to public investment in the national critical mineral strategy. We are not just relying on the markets and private investment.

[Lord Howell of Guildford (Con)]

My Lords—

[Lord McColl of Dulwich (Con)]

My Lords—

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

It is the turn of the Conservative Benches. If they can make their minds up, someone can ask a question.

[Lord Howell of Guildford (Con)]

My Lords, under the Washington declaration of 2023, we were promised by the then American Administration that all electric vehicles, military and civil, exported from this country, provided that they contained critical minerals or rare earths mined either in America or here, would be subject to the same subsidy as American vehicles were to be given anyway, under the American Government plans. What happened to that deal? Is it still outstanding?