Sir, – To much applause in the conference hall, Sir Keir Starmer [Tuesday 30 Sep 2025, at around 14:30 hrs] said how proud he is of the £10bn order, won against overseas competition, for five Type 26 frigates for the Royal Norwegian Navy – and rightly so. However, he did not mention the estimated £200m contract that has gone overseas for 24 tugs and harbour craft for naval ports. Surely every contract let on behalf of a government department should state that goods and services should be provided by British companies wherever possible. Yet, the Ministry of Defence has permitted Serco to contra…
