The UK Ministry of Defence say that it has reaffirmed its strategic commitment to strengthening domestic firearms manufacturing as part of a wider push to secure sovereign defence capabilities and stimulate economic growth, according to parliamentary responses issued on 30 April 2025.
In response to questions from Edward Morello MP (Liberal Democrat – West Dorset) concerning both the adequacy of current firearms production and the steps being taken to increase it, Minister of State for Defence Maria Eagle cited the Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy as central to long-term planning.
“The strategic aim of this Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy is to make sure the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy are aligned,” she said.
Eagle added that the strategy “will signal to industry the areas we want to grow our onshore production capability, and where we will work with allies.” The intention, she explained, is to ensure that “the UK has the industrial base needed to meet the potential threats of the future, as well as maximise economic benefits to the UK, ensuring UK suppliers get more value out of our procurement spend.”
She emphasised that procurement decisions within the Ministry of Defence are not made solely on performance criteria, stating:
“All Ministry of Defence procurement decisions are carefully considered, taking into account not only the capabilities of the equipment but also the wider economic impact and the need to maintain operational sovereignty.”
Many of the small arms used by the British Army since the Enfield per Russian rifle have had foreign origins in design
Snider
Martini Henry
Lee Metford
Lee Enfield
SLR
Vickers mg
Bren gun.
Building under licence isn’t a problem but losing the manufacturing capacity is. How you deal with feast and famine is problematic for any private company. We may need to return to the idea of a state owned arsenal.
Yes.
Other than a few shotguns and sniper rifles, what firearms industry do we have to strengthen?
We manufacture quite a lot of firearms in the uk from the m2 browning 50 to GPMG at the FN factory obviously we are a major player in military sniper rifles we also make very high end shotguns
I honestly didn’t know we had an FN factory on the UK! I knew we made low numbers of the M2, but not much more aside from accuracy international.
Not sure if that means we might get an FN service rifle, and expand out the only small arms factory we still have? Whenever it is that we decide to replace the SA80A3, of course
Per Russian? Percussion. Isn’t predictive text brilliant.
Ah, now it makes sense. Saw an Enfield 0.544 caliber rifled percussion musket on display at the tank museum on the Isle of Wight a couple of months ago. I always think of the film Glory and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment in connection with this weapon.
Cheers CR