Clive Lewis MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, commenting on the Government’s release of new defence export statistics, said:

‘’Despite the Tory rhetoric about a so-called ‘prosperity agenda’, today’s figures expose the reality that a successful industrial strategy is still very far away. Despite having supposedly prioritised British exports, Ministers simply aren’t doing enough for the British defence industry, and in fact their increasing reliance on American imports has made matters worse.

“The fact that Saudi Arabia continues to account for such a large share of British defence exports is also a matter of some concern, particularly in light of the many serious allegations that Saudi forces have violated humanitarian law in the ongoing conflict in Yemen. To be sustainable in the long term our defence industry will need a much more diverse export base than it has at the moment.”

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