As Britain marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Black Country MP Alex Ballinger has issued a powerful call to arms — urging the Government to back British industry as a matter of national security.
Drawing on his own military service and family history — from his grandfather’s time aboard HMS Catterick to his own tours with the Royal Marines in Afghanistan — Ballinger says the lesson of VE Day is clear: the front line is only as strong as the country behind it.
“Places like the Black Country didn’t just support the fight — they made victory possible,” he said. “That spirit of unity, purpose and resilience isn’t a memory. It’s a blueprint.”
Speaking in the House of Commons last week, Ballinger pressed the Prime Minister to commit to defence-driven manufacturing investment in the West Midlands — citing firms like Somers Forge in Halesowen and BB Price in Cradley Heath, which continue to supply essential components for the UK’s armed forces.
“I welcomed the Government’s action this month to secure British Steel,” Ballinger said. “And with our urgent need to invest in defence, it’s companies like Somers Forge and BB Price that stand ready to use that steel to make the kit our military needs.”
In response, the Prime Minister praised Ballinger’s service and responded directly:
“It’s vital that defence investment creates more jobs, apprenticeships and opportunities in the Black Country.”
The Government has pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 and recently launched a new Small Business Defence Hub, aimed at connecting up to 12,000 SMEs with procurement opportunities. But Ballinger warned that this investment must be properly targeted — towards regions with deep manufacturing roots and untapped potential.
“The Black Country still has the talent, the tools and the tradition,” he said. “Somers Forge produces vital equipment for the Royal Navy. BB Price has been forging parts for ships, tanks and aircraft for generations. These are not relics of the past — they are the backbone of a future defence industry.”
The West Midlands remains one of the UK’s strongest manufacturing bases, with nearly 12% of Black Country jobs in the sector, compared to a national average of around 8%. Yet youth unemployment remains a serious concern — with roughly one in nine young people out of work in some areas.
“Manufacturing offers a pathway into secure, skilled jobs,” Ballinger said. “And defence investment can help unlock that — creating new opportunities for young people in towns like Halesowen, Dudley and Cradley Heath.”
Ballinger has called for a bold, region-focused industrial strategy that aligns defence spending with domestic production — not only to boost the economy, but to ensure Britain’s armed forces aren’t left dependent on fragile global supply chains.
“In Helmand, we lost many good soldiers and marines,” he said. “But we learned. Our tactics changed. Our kit got better. And the same innovation that happened on the battlefield started in British workshops, labs and factories.”
This VE Day, he says, the question is not just how we remember the past — but how we prepare for the future.
“Are we ready for the challenges ahead? Are we investing in the skills, industries and infrastructure that kept us free 80 years ago? We owe it to that generation — and to the next — to be bold.”
And in a message tying past to present, he ends with a promise not just to remember, but to act:
“I fought for Britain — now I’m backing the Black Country to defend it.”