8/4/2019 Jim Murphy open letter to Liam Fox - Ocotber 4th
2011
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Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP
Secretary of State for Defence
Ministry of Defence
Main Building
Westminster
London
SW1A 2HB
4th
October 2011
Dear Liam
You will be as concerned as I am about the impact of the
recently announced 3,000 BAE job losses.
These follow 2,500 job losses resulting from the SDSR and there
are deep concerns about the loss ofour advanced skills base in the
UK. It is each of our responsibility to do all we can to support
the
families and communities affected as well as to protect the UKs
defence industry, which employs
over 300,000 people and generates over 35 billion per year to
the UK economy.
It is welcome news that your government is in discussion with
both the trade unions and BAE and it
is welcome that enterprise zones will be established in
Lancashire and East Yorkshire. Without
prejudicing ongoing discussions, however, I believe it is
essential you go further to address the issue
of UK defence manufacturing in your speech tomorrow.
I have expressed my view previously that your default preference
to buy off the shelf could have
negative social and economic implications for the UK. Reliance
on overseas suppliers brings high
support costs; exportability is key to the strength of the
defence sector yet this would be limited by
increased overseas purchases; fewer sovereign capabilities would
mean a weaker sovereign
manufacturing base; and the UK becoming a passive purchaser of
equipment would limit military
flexibility. The current situation at BAE provides an
opportunity for you to demonstrate that you will
avoid such outcomes and put British manufacturing first.
I believe it is important that tomorrow you provide a commitment
to maintaining UAV and fast jet
capability in the UK over the long-term, with an MoD-led
industrial strategy for how they will be
supported, designed in conjunction with industry and the trade
unions. It would be terrible if there
was an incremental loss of the ability to construct and maintain
these important capabilities in the
UK because the Government simply did not have a strategy. Such a
commitment would give the
defence industry the confidence and certainty they require to
plan and minimise the detrimental
impact of falling global demand.
Tomorrow is an opportunity for the Government to put an end to
the emerging pattern of
Ministerial ambivalence towards UK manufacturing and make a
commitment which could
strengthen our military and contribute to vital private sector
growth in the UK. I very much hope
that you take it.
