Streeting: 'No moral or economic case for defence firms hiring workers from abroad'

Exclusive Defence Ministry of Defence (MoD) Scotland's Defence Future Wes Streeting Business Economy National government Politics Scotland Streeting challenges defence firms over overseas labour   Defence Ministry of Defence (MoD) Scotland's Defence Future Wes Streeting Business Economy National government Politics Scotland Exclusive (Image: Gordon Terris) This article is brought to you , and has been written . It does not necessarily reflect the view of The Herald. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has told defence firms there is “neither an economic nor a moral justification” for hiring thousands of workers from overseas while young Britons are out of work. The warning comes in a column for The Herald, where the minister promised that £298 billion of spending on defence would deliver jobs and skills in Scotland. Last year, The Herald told how Babcock was forced to hire 300 welders from the Philippines to work at its Rosyth yard in October 2025, a decision it said it had to take because of a lack of skilled local applicants. The firm is building the Royal Navy's five Type 31 frigates under a contract worth around £1.25 billion. Scottish Greens reject motion to drop long-standing opposition to nuclear energy SNP Cabinet Secretary says Jackdaw gas field approval was 'the right decision' Marra hands finance brief to leadership rival Fagan in first shadow cabinet A recent report 's defence industry, with acute shortages of welders, fabricators, steelworkers, engineers and naval architects. Trade body ADS told the committee it was monitoring 10,000 live engineering vacancies across Scotland alone, while Thales said Scotland was nearly 9,000 apprenticeships short of what was needed in 2024. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting during a visit to Babcock in Rosyth (Image: Jane Barlow/PA) However, demand for training far outstrips supply. Colleges Scotland estimated there were 40 applicants for every available place on apprenticeship and engineering courses. Under Sir Keir Starmer, the Government promised to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 and 3% in the next Parliament, with NATO allies committed to 3.5% by 2035. The Defence Investment Plan promises £298 billion over four years, taking the Ministry of Defence budget from £62 billion in 2025/26 to £79.1 billion in 2029/30. Mr Streeting said the increase in defence spending was "an opportunity to strengthen the Scottish economy, rebuild its industrial base, and create better opportunities for the next generation". He said the sector directly supports 12,200 jobs in Scotland, with thousands more in the supply chain and support industries. He wrote that the UK Government's defence investment over four years was a chance to "repair the damage of Britain's old economic model where too many places were expected to live with their decline".