Originally Posted by
Not_a_boffin
That'll be the UK that is the 3 or 4th largest defence exporter in the world? Going to have to go some to move up that ladder, given who's above us.
Shipbuilding is in a different space to aircraft and weapons, which have underpinned our export ranking on the basis of our willingness to export to the Gulf and our past success in doing so. But we are ever more dependent on partnership to reach our advanced domestic capability goals, and the Gulf states are becoming ever less palatable as export destinations for many of our potential partners. And partnerships tend to involve right of veto over exports. So it's not just MIC vs jobs; it's MIC vs jobs vs foreign policy. I agree that it will be fascinating to see how DC sets about it.