Prime Minister Andy Burnham has renewed focus on 'buying British' in defence procurement, stating that "security is not only about what we build, but who builds it and benefits from it." This vision, set out during a visit to a BAE Systems Shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness last month, advocates for British money to be spent on British firms.
However, Paul Jenkinson, CEO of British sovereign AI company Whitespace, suggests that this turn to nationalism may prove unhelpful. He argues that hyperfixating on where a defence company is registered as the metric for sovereign capability could leave the nation on the back foot.
Jenkinson believes the real question should be whether the government can trust that procured capabilities are truly resilient. He advocates for levelling the playing field for UK tech companies to be genuine competitors based on merit and technical performance, rather than prioritising procedural requirements or a company's logo.