Huge investment in gun barrel making centre

A new gun barrel manufacturing centre could be created in the UK which would create up to 400 jobs, the firm behind the plan said.

German defence firm Rheinmetall said production at the Hadley Castle Works in Telford, Shropshire, was set to begin by 2027 and it was part of a wider £400m investment in the UK.

The company said the UK had lacked capability to make large barrels since 2016 and said that it was "vital for national defence and global exports".

The new facility will use British steel, the company said, and was the result of a "strategic partnership with the Ministry of Defence".

Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land employs 700 people in the UK, in Telford, as well as in Bristol and Bovington.

Rheinmetall said some of the jobs created would be in the UK supply chain and would "revitalise the local industry and boost prosperity in Telford and beyond".

Armin Papperger, CEO and Chairman of Rheinmetall Germany, described the investment as a "statement" and that it was "more than a facility. It is a foundation for the future of British defence".

In February, the Prime Minister set out plans to increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income by 2027.

The Hadley Castle Works have been home to defence manufacturing for decades and Telford and Wrekin Council said the new facility confirmed "the towns status as a key hub for the UK's defence sector".

The firm makes Challenger 3 tanks and Boxer armoured vehicles at Telford and said it was investing in UK defence skills with apprenticeships, graduate programmes and industrial placements.

Mark Pritchard, the MP for The Wrekin, said it was good news "for local suppliers and for the employment and skills this major investment will bring".

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