The Ministry of Defence has reaffirmed its commitment to expanding the role of British small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK’s nuclear defence ecosystem with new initiatives aimed at increasing access and investment across the supply chain.
Responding to questions from James Cartlidge MP (Conservative – South Suffolk), Defence Minister Maria Eagle said the Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) already includes “over 3,000 UK-based businesses including many Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) who are contributing significantly to innovation, supply chain efficiency, and local economies.”
To support further growth, Eagle confirmed the launch of a new SME access hub, designed to provide better entry points for small businesses into the broader defence industrial base, including the nuclear enterprise.
“We will also set direct SME spending targets by June this year,” she added, “ensuring that thousands of small businesses in the UK will benefit from the decision to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.”
The move follows growing calls for greater industrial inclusivity as Britain ramps up investment in its nuclear deterrent, submarine fleet, and associated infrastructure. The MoD said it continues to work closely with prime contractors through “a network of their SME Champions, trade associations and SME representatives to ensure that SMEs have fair access to opportunities in all our supply chains.”
I have to say I’m slightly bemused by this, it’s like HMG just discovered the fact that the U.K. has hundreds (if not thousands) of small /medium engineering firms ! Next thing will be someone pointing out for the last 65 years many of them have been designing and producing parts for U.K and Foreign Submarines, and some are Nuclear.
My late uncle was also an RR&A Engineer here in Derby and he had the best job in the company. He dealt with SME contracts so he pootled around the country visiting companies, seeing what they could do, checking on quality and progress and sometimes coming back with bits in the boot. He even took used to take the Dog with him !
These companies are all over the place, Manchester, Black Country, Glasgow, Derbyshire, Stoke just to name a few.
So well done to HMG they just reinvented the wheel 🤷🏼♂️
Hi mate.
That job sounds great!
Yep as a kid he’d take me when he visited the Black Country firms, just dropped me and my sandwiches off at Dudley Zoo all it cost me was a Yorkie Bar ! But his industry knowledge was off the scale, some of the bespoke test rigs required dozens of small firms all working to a tight deadline and the only person who knew what it was for was him. I don’t think he ever failed to deliver on time and on budget.