Unite urges Government to end defence investment delays and protect jobs

Unite has called on the Prime Minister to act urgently to deliver the Defence Investment Plan, warning that delays are putting thousands of highly skilled UK defence jobs at risk.

The union, which represents tens of thousands of workers across the defence sector, said uncertainty over key procurement decisions is leaving workers and employers in limbo, despite government commitments that increased defence spending would help rebuild the UK’s industrial base.

Concerns centre on jobs linked to major defence programmes, including new Typhoon aircraft for the RAF, orders for medium lift helicopters, military transport aircraft and the UK’s military satellite programme.

Unite said decisions on all of these projects depend on the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Investment Plan, which has reportedly been delayed due to spending concerns within Number 10.

The union said the lack of confirmed orders is already affecting employment across the sector.

Airbus workers in Filton are awaiting a decision on the purchase of six A400M military transport aircraft, while hundreds of Leonardo employees in Somerset are dependent on approval of the new medium lift helicopter programme, for which Leonardo became the sole bidder in 2024.

Unite has also raised concerns about the future of the UK’s military space workforce, after the government opened the Skynet 6 satellite programme to international competition.

For more than 20 years, UK military satellites have been built by Airbus at sites in Stevenage and Portsmouth, supporting hundreds of skilled jobs.