NHS and Army must be ordered to purchase British, prime Tory says | Politics | News | EUROtoday

The NHS and armed forces must be ordered to “buy British” to guard jobs and strengthen our nationwide safety, a prime Tory warned. Sir John Hayes referred to as for the general public sector to “lead by example” by supporting British companies.

The senior Conservative MP hit out at globalisation which he mentioned was hitting firms within the UK. Sir John, who has been the MP for South Holland and The Deepings since 1997, made the feedback as he backed the Daily Express’s It’s Time to Buy British marketing campaign.

Writing within the Express, he mentioned: “British institutions, funded by British taxes, should be mandated to buy British.

“Our public sector; from authorities departments to native councils; from the armed providers to the NHS, ought to lead by instance, supporting native economies by buying British items, so making certain meals safety, traceability, and adherence to the best high quality requirements.

“Globalisation, fed by a stubborn commitment to unfair so-called ‘free’ trade, certainly benefits greedy multinational corporations, only to the detriment of British industries and British workers. To make our kingdom secure we must prioritise our own businesses.

“By making certain the Government routinely purchases British items, we might rebuild the foundations of our financial system and help British employees, so securing the prosperity of our manufacturing cities and our rural counties. Now, greater than ever, we should again Britain by shopping for British.”

It comes amid global trade tensions after US President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on goods entering America.

Earlier this month, Sir John called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to use government procurement to back British jobs and British products in the Commons.

But Ms Reeves said a “purchase British” campaign would be “inward wanting” and was “not the way in which ahead” in response to calls by the Lib Dems.

In 2023, 86% of public sector procurement spending was with British suppliers, according to public procurement experts Tussell.

The remaining 14% is spent largely with companies based or owned in France, the US and Germany.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch kicked off our campaign earlier this month as she hit out at Labour’s national insurance raid on employers.

The Conservative leader said she believes in “always” buying British and where possible “buy local”.

She added: “But we can’t buy British if British jobs are going and if British companies are closing because of the jobs tax and because of the terrible decisions that Labour is making on the economy, inflation is up, growth has halved and, business confidence is down, and that’s what really worries me, that we won’t be able to buy British because of what is happening to our economy.”

Environment Secretary Steve Reed declared that Britain should be “proud” of UK items and produce as he backed the campaign.