Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Industry Opening Speech at the International Armoured Vehicle Conference
Source: gov.uk (2025-01-21)

The Rt Hon Maria Eagle MP, Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Industry, Opening Speech at the International Armoured Vehicle Conference, Farnborough

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests.

Let me begin by thanking everyone at Defence IQ for bringing the sector together, and for this chance to address you. It’s good to see so many of you here.

In December the Prime Minister outlined the Government’s Plan for Change.

It is a plan to unlock the pride and potential of every nation and region, underpinned by economic growth, with the State as an engine of innovation, in partnership with businesses, civil society and the British people.

Now, three weeks ago, I saw what that type of collaboration can achieve when I had the pleasure of touring the RBSL factory in Telford, and meeting some of the workers who have crafted the UK’s next generation of Boxer armoured vehicles and Challenger 3 tanks. And I told them that the vehicles and the ingenuity and skill of the workforce that produced them should be a source of great pride for Rheinmetall, for BAE Systems and for the people of Telford and the surrounding area.

Because Boxer and Challenger 3 are much more than state of the art combat vehicles, and a launchpad for the British Army to be a more integrated and lethal fighting force.

They are a boost for deterrence and our national security.

They are helping to galvanise the UK defence industrial sector.

They are a testament to the strength of the partnership between the UK and Germany, which we’ve reinforced through our Trinity House Agreement.

And they’re a stimulant for the economy, jobs and opportunities, in the West Midlands, and right across the supply chain.

And today, it will soon be my great pleasure to unveil one of the phenomenal products of their hard work here to you all in public for the first time, our very own British built Boxer.

And the good news for all our foreign visitors, is that it can be yours too.

I’d like to thank our German partners Rheinmetall. I’d like to thank KNDS as well as BAE Systems for their collaboration on this programme.

And thank Rheinmetall for their investment which is enabling us to onshore gun barrel manufacture, after a decade long hiatus.

The Boxer programme demonstrates the power of effective international cooperation.

The UK variant benefits from the lessons learnt by our partners in Germany, the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Australia.

Resulting in a vehicle, and I appreciate I might be biased, that can credibly be seen as the leading Boxer variant on the market and the best-in-class 8x8 vehicle in production anywhere in the world.

Its modular design can be adapted to different roles, from infantry carrier to command vehicle to specialist carrier to ambulance.

And there are new variants on the way, including Artillery, Bridging and Mortar models.

Its digital architecture, which will enable continuous upgrade as technology evolves, ensures it will remain cutting-edge for decades to come.

This flexibility and futureproofing combined with its mobility protection, reliability and performance makes it an attractive proposition for any army.

A protective backbone for any fighting force so that it‘s fit to fight and able to pack a punch on any terrain for decades to come.

The Boxer Programme is in the mould of the type of Defence Partnerships that we plan to build across the Defence sector, through our forthcoming Defence Industrial Strategy.

Because as we use our Strategic Defence Review, to plot a path towards spending 2.5% of GDP on Defence, encouraging Defence partners to manufacture here in the UK is a win-win.

It bolsters our armed forces and enhances our industrial resilience, deterring potential enemies in an increasingly dangerous world, and unleashing our Defence sector to be an engine for jobs and growth.

We are currently consulting industry and Trade Unions across our United Kingdom, so they can help shape our Defence Industrial Strategy.

And I hope that any of you here with an interest will get involved in that process.

The Boxer programme, alongside our new Ajax vehicles and Challenger 3s, will provide a huge boost to the British Army.

And we are developing new variants of Boxer to strengthen the industrial base that underpins it.

The programme has pumped more than £1.6 billion into the UK economy so far.

And secured around 400 jobs in Telford and Stockport, and a thousand across the supply chain.

And I can tell you, having spoken to some of those people, they’re all very pleased to be working on the Boxer and the Challenger 3s.

As a government elected with a mandate to align the UK’s security and economic priorities, I want to send a clear message to industry partners, that we will use our Defence Industrial Strategy to replicate this British based blueprint, where it is in our national interest to do so.

We’ll also use it to strengthen our partnerships with Defence firms - primes, mid-tiers and SMEs.

So that together we can accelerate innovation and delivery…

strengthen interoperability with our allies and grow skills, jobs and exports.

Building not just the next-generation of capabilities for the dedicated men and women of our Armed Forces, but also by delivering economic growth across the country building a brighter and more secure future for Britain.

Thank you very much.