Ajax Programme

Carolyn Harris Excerpts

Wednesday 14th January 2026 Westminster Hall

[Gerald Jones (Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. I congratulate the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty) on securing this important debate. My constituency is home to General Dynamics, and its site at Pentrebach is where Ajax vehicles are currently assembled. I am here today to try to represent the views of the 700 or so workers at the site, many of whom are my constituents.

In relation the concerns raised in November, as I said in the Chamber following the recent urgent question, safety is the priority and of paramount importance. It is essential that everything possible is done to keep our brave servicemen and women safe. I am aware that General Dynamics is working closely with the Government and the MOD to try and get to the bottom of what happened in November and put right anything that needs to be in response. Since initial concerns were identified in 2021, the company has worked closely with the Government and robust testing has been carried out over a number of years by the company together with the MOD and the Army.

General Dynamics has operated in south Wales valleys for many years and acquired the site in Merthyr Tydfil in 2014. Since then, hundreds of my constituents and others from surrounding areas have been employed on the Ajax programme and have dedicated themselves to playing their part in building a platform that is at the forefront of our defence readiness. Just two months ago, the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry was in Merthyr Tydfil to celebrate the milestone of the IOC being awarded. I was present that day and the whole workforce was upbeat about the contribution that it was making to the nation’s defence story.

General Dynamics has been committed to the local area, and I am aware that there are ongoing discussions around export of the Ajax platform to other countries. This, of course, would mean sustaining jobs and creating additional jobs in my constituency and in the supply chain across south Wales and beyond.

[Carolyn Harris (Neath and Swansea East) (Lab)]

Many of my constituents are employed in this sector, by General Dynamics and in the wider supply chain. Would my hon. Friend agree that those are the very types of secure, well-paid jobs that we need across the south Wales region?

[Gerald Jones]

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend’s comment. It is important that we have certainty for those jobs and sustain and increase such jobs across south Wales, because that is integral to this Government’s growth agenda in communities in Wales and across the UK.

Merthyr Tydfil has a long, proud and historical association with the defence of our country. Merthyr was the largest iron-producing town in the world at the time of the industrial revolution, producing cannons and cannonballs for the Royal Navy, leading to a visit from Admiral Nelson himself in 1802 to the Cyfarthfa ironworks. Our area is keen to renew that role in the 21st century and play a part in creating quality defence capabilities with our dedicated and committed workforce.

As I mentioned earlier, currently more than 700 people are employed at the site and those skilled and long-term employment opportunities are vital to the ongoing regeneration of the valleys—an area where heavy industry, such as coal mining and steel, has now ceased, and new industry and employment opportunities are so important to creating hope and growth in our communities. In addition, as a proud supporter of the Union of the United Kingdom, it is hugely important that people across the whole of the UK feel included in the defence sector and ongoing Government investment in the defence capability should benefit communities in the UK and particularly the south Wales valleys.

In closing, I ask the Minister to address a few points. While I fully appreciate that the investigation has to take its course, does he have any indication of what timescale is in place for the investigations to be concluded? The longer the uncertainty goes on, the more impact it will have on the morale of the workforce in Merthyr Tydfil.

Finally, while I appreciate that the Minister is responding on behalf of the MOD, in the Chamber last month, I asked the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry if he would meet staff and trade unions at General Dynamics as soon as possible to provide them with as much reassurance as possible, something he committed to doing. Today I ask the Minister if he will undertake to raise with the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry the importance of that visit taking place at the earliest opportunity. In the event that the investigations take longer than expected, will he commit in the meantime to asking the MOD to find a way to provide regular updates to the staff and workforce until more certainty can be provided?