Luke Myer MP visited the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duncan in North Shields this weekend for talks on the North East’s role in Britain’s defence future. It follows recent discussions with RAF Space Command at RAF Fylingdales, just south of his constituency.

The visit brought together MPs and senior naval leaders to discuss how the region can support the Navy’s next generation of vessels and supply chains. Luke has been clear that defence investment must deliver not just national security, but also skilled jobs, apprenticeships and long-term industrial capacity in regions like Teesside.

In Parliament last year, Luke led a debate calling for stronger support for the North East’s defence industry, highlighting the region’s historic contribution to Britain’s security and its current strength – including around 2,500 direct defence jobs and many more in the supply chain. He argued that defence procurement should do more to back British industry, SMEs, and regional growth.

With rising global instability and renewed threats to Europe from Russia, NATO allies are rapidly scaling up defence production. Britain’s Labour Government is raising defence spending to 2.5% of GDP – the highest level since the end of the Cold War – and has launched a Strategic Defence Review and Defence Industrial Strategy to strengthen national security and rebuild domestic defence manufacturing.