Union Claims A Quarter Of UK Defence Spending Benefits The United States

Union leaders are demanding ministers explain why so much defence spending goes to the United States.

They're to tell MPs it could cost the UK its ability to independently produce vital equipment.

According to Unite, by 2020 almost a-quarter of UK defence spending will support jobs in the United States, rather than in Britain.

They say that doesn't just undermine the government's industrial strategy, but could endanger the UK's ability to independently produce important defence equipment.

Officials from the union are due to give evidence later to the Commons Defence Committee.

They'll tell the MPs the defence of the UK shouldn't be outsourced to other nations, putting it at, in their words, "the whim of foreign powers and corporations".

Commenting ahead of the session, Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner said:

"The Government appears to be actively undermining the UK's ability to independently manufacture defence equipment.

"By 2020, nearly 25p in every pound of defence spending will go to supporting jobs in US factories rather than here in the UK.

"Not only does it undermine the UK's sovereign defence capability; it also undermines the Government's desire to have a joined up industrial strategy.

"The crossover between defence and civilian manufacturing is well known and the economic benefits of defence manufacturing to communities across the UK significant.

"For every pound of defence spend spent here in the UK, 36p flows back to Treasury, even before your consider the multiplier effect of such investment.

"The UK Government should be backing Britain's world class defence workers by spending the defence budget here in the UK and investing in world beating projects such as the advanced Hawk programme.

"A failure to do so will result in the defence of the realm being outsourced to overseas nations and our defence being subject to the whim of foreign powers and corporations.