Fashion group urges Burnham to back UK-made NHS and military uniforms
Fashion Roundtable says domestic contracts could support manufacturing and supply-chain resilience, but its spending estimates have not been independently verified.
Fashion Roundtable is urging Andy Burnham to support the manufacture of National Health Service and Ministry of Defence uniforms in the UK, arguing that public procurement could help sustain domestic textile production.
The organisation plans to hand-deliver a letter to No 10 signed by more than 1,200 people, including Ben Fogle and Patrick Grant. The campaign comes ahead of London Fashion Week but focuses on the role of government purchasing in supporting manufacturing.
A Fashion Roundtable economist estimates that the NHS and Ministry of Defence spend about £120m a year on uniforms, with 55 per cent currently made overseas. The figures have not been independently verified in the supplied material.
Supporters say longer-term UK contracts could give manufacturers more predictable demand, helping them retain skills, employ more people and strengthen supply chains. They cite Scotland’s domestic PPE production in 2021 and the United States’ Berry amendment, which requires military uniform contracts to be manufactured domestically, as examples of local procurement.
The proposal also comes amid concerns raised by commentators about some army uniforms being made in China. The supplied material does not establish the scale of that manufacturing or identify the specific policy or legal changes being sought from Burnham.
Grant, whose Community Clothing label works with manufacturers including a Blackburn-based military outfitter, said government procurement could provide the steady demand needed by manufacturers. The material does not state whether Burnham has endorsed the campaign.
