Luton South MP Rachel Hopkins has welcomed a landmark defence agreement between the UK and Türkiye, claiming it will secure around 1,000 jobs for communities in and around the town.
The deal, announced by the government last month, involves the export of 20 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Türkiye in a contract worth up to £8billion — the biggest British fighter jet sale in nearly two decades.
In the House of Commons, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the agreement would “support 20,000 jobs across 330 UK companies” and referenced Luton among the regions to benefit.
Ms Hopkins said on her website she had been briefed by the minister and that the government was increasingly treating defence as a vehicle for economic growth, “delivering good, well-paid, unionised jobs”.
“This deal will secure 20,000 jobs across the UK, including 1,000 in and around Luton South and South Bedfordshire,” she said.
While the government’s announcements name Luton as one of the areas to see jobs, it does not break down the total into precise parliamentary constituencies.
So, for Lutonians, the announcement raises questions about where exactly jobs will be located — whether in advanced engineering, supply chain, maintenance or administrative roles — and how local firms might be able to access that work.
And while Defense Secretary John Healey described the export as “the biggest jet export in a generation” and said it would “pump billions of pounds into the economy” while supporting long-term defence capabilities, ssome commentators and campaigners have raised concerns about exporting weapons to countries with contested human rights records. The Guardian, for example, noted that Turkey’s rights record has drawn scrutiny and that such deals may come under moral and political debate.
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