Public Procurement: Prioritising British Suppliers

Lord Spellar Excerpts

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Spellar]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of WTO rules and EU regulations on their ability to prioritise British suppliers for public procurement.

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Twycross) (Lab)]

We are changing public procurement to work harder for Britain. In the last six months, this Government have issued new guidance on steel transparency requirements and the use of the national security exemption, as well as revising their social value model to support local communities. These reforms will support growth, create more jobs and strengthen skills while complying with our international agreements, and we will continue to do more.

[Lord Spellar (Lab)]

I thank the Minister for that reply, but can she reflect on the fact that we are still getting replies from Ministers that their ability to preference British manufacturers, for example of buses, is constrained by the World Trade Organization and our agreements with the EU? Yet the United States is a member of the WTO, and not only does it have “buy American” legislation on the statute book but the federal Government mandate in their grants to states and local authorities that they have to buy American. Within the EU, the founding members Italy, Germany and France blatantly preference their own suppliers. Can we change the mindset inside government to put British industry and British workers first?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

The Government have been working to ensure that public procurement plays its full role in delivering our industrial strategy. My noble friend is right about the value of public procurement: every year, this country spends around £400 billion. We think that the new social value model will encourage contracting authorities, including central government departments, to deliver good-quality jobs, skills and opportunities in communities. We believe we can do this while still upholding our international commitments. Guidance will be published in the near future.