Fashion firms press for UK-made NHS and military uniforms

Ahead of London fashion week, Fashion Roundtable is turning its attention from catwalks to public-sector clothing. The thinktank plans to hand-deliver a letter to Downing Street urging Andy Burnham to support the manufacture of NHS and Ministry of Defence uniforms in the UK.

More than 1,200 people have signed the letter, including adventurer Ben Fogle and The Great British Sewing Bee presenter Patrick Grant. Fashion Roundtable argues that public procurement could help preserve domestic textile manufacturing by supporting skills retention, inclusive growth and regional resilience.

An estimate by a Fashion Roundtable economist puts annual NHS and Ministry of Defence uniform spending at about £120 million, with 55 per cent currently manufactured overseas. The figures have not been independently verified.

Supporters point to Scotland’s domestic PPE production in 2021 as an example of the potential economic benefits of public contracts. The Guardian reports that Scotland invested £102.7 million in PPE and produced 88 per cent domestically, generating £66.7 million in additional economic value and 1,400 jobs, according to figures cited by the campaign.

Kate Hills of Make It British said such contracts could give manufacturers the confidence to employ more people and plan beyond short-term survival. The United States, where military uniforms must be domestically manufactured under the Berry amendment, is also cited as a model.

Grant, who invested in Blackburn-based military outfitters Cookson & Clegg, said he would like to bid for government contracts but described the procurement process as excessively complicated for smaller firms. Burnham has argued that government procurement should do more to support UK manufacturers, but the supplied material does not indicate that he has agreed to Fashion Roundtable’s proposal.