Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the impact of the Integrated Review on employment in Lancashire.

Our spending review settlement will increase our defence budget by over £24 billion over the next four years. This investment will modernise our Armed Forces and support jobs across the UK.

In North West England, the Ministry of Defence spent over £ 2.2 billion with industry and commerce in 2019-20. This includes in our truly world-leading combat air sector, which employs thousands of workers across the UK, including in Lancashire.

Lancashire has long been a key part of our defence industrial footprint, particularly for Combat Air. BAE Systems has a large presence in the area, as well as MBDA through their premises in Lostock, Bolton.

The Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper announced that the UK will invest more than £2 billion into the Future Combat Air System programme over the next four years. This major investment will take us a step closer to realising the benefits of Tempest to our nation's security and prosperity.