PM seeks investment in defence, technology and green energy
BORIS JOHNSON will set out plans to drive investment into domestic industries when he announces the outcome of the Government’s far-ranging review of foreign and defence policy this week.
The Prime Minister said Britain’s international ambitions must “start at home”, as he pledged to use the Integrated Review to ensure the UK is on the cutting edge of innovation and “match fit” for a more competitive world.
Mr Johnson is expected to make the case for more investment in national infrastructure, innovation and skills – with a push for investment in industries including defence, technology and alternative energy.
He is said to want the UK to be stronger and more secure, prosperous and resilient by 2030.
The Integrated Review – covering foreign, defence, security and development policy – has been billed as the most significant overhaul of the UK’s strategic posture since the Cold War.
It will include commitments to build ships in Scotland and armoured vehicles in Wales, and contain plans for satellites to be manufactured in Northern Ireland and lithium to be mined in Cornwall. In November Mr Johnson set out a £16.5bn increase in defence spending over four years, and said the UK will once again become Europe’s leading naval power, while the RAF will get new hi-tech jets and the military will be modernised.
The plans included the creation of an agency dedicated to artificial intelligence, and a “space command” capable of launching the UK’s first rocket by 2022.
Mr Johnson announced over the weekend that there would be a “cyber corridor” across the north of England, where the headquarters of the new National Cyber Force (NCF) will be based.
The Prime Minister will make a statement in the House of Commons outlining the review’s conclusions tomorrow. He said: “The foundation of our foreign policy is who we are as a country: our values, our strengths and – most importantly – our people.”