Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that defence procurement supports SMEs in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

We are delivering on the Defence Industrial Strategy by increasing MOD spend with SMEs by £2.5 billion by Summer 2028—taking total spend to £7.5 billion, a 50% uplift. This marks a step change in ensuring smaller businesses benefit from defence procurement. We are working with direct suppliers, SME Champions, industry bodies and regional defence security clusters to open up supply chains and ensure fair access to opportunities. Our new SME Commercial Pathway is increasing opportunities while simplifying, speeding up, and reducing the burden of contracting.

The Defence Office for Small Business Growth, launched by this Government, underpins these efforts, improving SME access to defence and supporting thousands of UK small businesses, including those in Surrey, to deliver the cutting-edge technologies our Armed Forces rely on.