Written question asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated) on Tuesday, 1 September 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 15 September 2026. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Tuesday, 15 September 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Armed Forces: Uniforms

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) incorporate domestic content requirements, and (2) support UK textile manufacturers, with regard to public procurement contracts for Armed Forces uniforms.

Answer

The Ministry of Defence is considering how it can best take advantage of the greater flexibility under the Procurement Act 2023 for Defence and Security (except for non-sensitive goods) requirements to restrict competition and favour trusted supply chains, including, British-based suppliers.

Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 025 is intended to strengthen UK national security through public procurement by encouraging contracting authorities to consider supply chain resilience, sovereign capability and strategic dependency when procuring in critical sectors:

Steel
Shipbuilding
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Energy Infrastructure

A Preliminary Market Engagement Notice was released in Dec 25 drawing suppliers’ attention to a pilot procurement for several lines of miliary clothing with the intention of establishing whether it is feasible to procure such items on a more “resilient” basis without compromising quality, price and delivery. This pilot is to gain insight from the market to help determine the future strategy, including challenges to overcome.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL2961
Session: 2026-27
Subjects: Contracts Armed forces Manufacturing industries Procurement Textiles Uniforms
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

Armed Forces: Uniforms

Secondary information

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