UK Government to prioritise ‘buying British’ in major overhaul, John Healey says

Chancellor John Healey has said the UK Government will “buy British” by design, in a major overhaul of procurement.

Mr Healey, who was appointed by Andy Burnham earlier this week, said every pound spent will support British jobs.

The former Defence Secretary told the Sun: “You will see this as a determined drive that you have not seen before from a British government.

“Buying British not if possible, but by design. So every procurement pound supports British jobs, British apprenticeships and British skills.

“Driving wealth creation so the policy decisions we take in government help raise levels of investment and profit and innovation in British business.”

Mr Healey told the newspaper that devolution will provide an opportunity to roll out the “buy British” approach.

Mr Burnham entered Downing Street pledging to lead a “cost-of-living Government”.

He and Mr Healey are under pressure to say how they will sustain a raft of support packages they announced for bus passengers, energy billpayers and pub punters.

Asked about where the money will come from, he said: “Fiscal credibility is the bedrock of economic stability.

“Both Andy and I have talked about how we will work in lockstep to meet the fiscal rules and ensure we have got a buffer against uncertainty.”

Mr Healey’s resignation as defence secretary amid an argument about funding proved to be a consequential moment in Sir Keir Starmer’s downfall.

Asked about when defence spending will go up, he told the Sun it was “not a matter for this first week”.