“Britain’s defence industry plays a key role delivering an economy that works for everyone,” said Harriett Baldwin MP, Minister for Defence Procurement. “Across the UK, Britain’s defence companies provide highly skilled, well-paid jobs with world class manufacturing exports. Boeing expects to increase their UK workforce by 50% by 2020. This joint initiative is a prime example of the cutting edge, high-skilled, job-creating investment that our industrial strategy seeks to harness to make Britain one of the most competitive places in the world to innovate, build businesses and deliver secure, long-term prosperity for all."
At a meeting in London between executives from Boeing’s UK operations and the Ministry of Defence, Minister Harriett Baldwin and Boeing International president Marc Allen led the review of progress made on the initiative between the government and the company to enhance further prosperity in the UK.
“Boeing’s partnership with the UK, which dates back to the 1930s, goes from strength to strength today,” said Marc Allen, president of Boeing International. “Boeing values the UK’s aerospace and defence capabilities. Our relationship with the UK supply chain has more than doubled in value since 2011 and we are rapidly growing our UK-based businesses. This growth will continue in 2017 and beyond. Further significant announcements are planned in the near future, building on our achievements already in place.”
The prosperity initiative was announced at the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2016 alongside orders for nine P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft and 50 Apache AH-64E attack helicopters. Since then, the following new milestones have been achieved in collaboration with the government and UK industry, building on the objectives set out last summer and Boeing’s ongoing commitment to the UK: