My top priority is bringing more high-quality employers and well-paid jobs to our area. As part of that, I’m pushing hard for more support for the brilliant small and medium firms manufacturing defence supplies locally.
To help our businesses secure more work, I’m determined to try and change the way defence contracts are issued, so more opportunities are available to small companies. I led a debate in Parliament on this really important matter. I asked the minister to look at changing how the Ministry of Defence works, so that firms of all sizes can do business with government.
This would lead to more jobs and apprenticeships at businesses at NETPark in Sedgefield and Aycliffe Business Park that supply the defence industry and help to keep us safe.
The reason this needs fixing is because we reached a situation under the Conservatives where only 5% of Ministry of Defence spending goes directly to small businesses. In America a quarter of defence spending goes straight to small firms and its higher still in other allied nations. This is not acceptable and is harming industry – I’m determined to try and get this changed.
To push this further, I was proud to organise a visit by Defence Procurement and Industry Minister Maria Eagle MP to our constituency. I chaired a meeting between Maria and innovative small businesses, to discuss the difficulties they’ve had over the years bidding for government contracts. I’m following up the meeting to discuss what practical changes the new government can make to help solve these problems through Labour’s Defence Industrial Strategy.
It was also a privilege to show the minister round Kromek’s manufacturing facility. She was able to see first hand the vital radiation and biological detection kit being made here on our doorstep. Kit that’s used around the world and which residents are being trained to develop.
And, as if ministers hadn’t heard enough from me on this, I also asked a question on this topic to the Business and Trade Secretary in the chamber of the House of Commons! I promised that, if elected as your MP, I would be absolutely relentless in pushing for jobs and investment. That’s what I’ve worked hard to do on Hitachi and I’m doing more widely to expand the number of brilliant opportunities available locally.
It was great to end the week by meeting students at the University Technical College in Aycliffe Business Park. They’re doing brilliant work supporting young people to go on to jobs and apprenticeships in good local employers like Hitachi, Gestamp and Nissan. It was really good to chat to the students about their ambitions for the future and how I can support them.
At the weekend it was an honour to join the Mayor of Ferryhill and members of the Royal British Legion to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Ferryhill’s war monument. And great to spend Saturday afternoon cheering on Spennymoor Town FC and see them win their FA Trophy match against Boston United!