World-class 'We'll work to ensure Typhoon deal is first of many'

SIR Keir Starmer said the UK will build on the £8 billion deal to sell 20 Typhoon jets to Turkey from 2030 to ensure it "isn't just a one-off order".

- Hannah BAKER Business editor

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during a visit to BAE Systems in Warton, Preston, after the signing of a deal with Turkey worth up to £8 billion for 20 UK Typhoon fighter jets

(Pic: Stefan Rousseau)

The agreement will support more than 1,000 jobs in the West, with Rolls-Royce in Bristol playing a key role.

The Prime Minister praised workers at jet production firm BAE Systems in Warton, near Preston, yesterday, a day after signing the agreement during a visit to Ankara.

He said: "Thank you for the work that you are doing on behalf of our country.

"Thank you for your time. This morning, I intend to build on this with you so that this isn't just a one-off order.

"It's one of a series of orders that we get from Warton, and we can go not just back to where we were, but beyond where we were with our capabilities."

He said it was "the biggest order we've had in the best part of a generation, £8 billion, 20,000 jobs in all."

Sir Keir highlighted that "we're competing against the world" for such orders and that "we signed that deal because you're world class".