Policy

Race to rearm: Telford gun hall brings tank barrel production back to the UK

Private Trade News trader edition (2026-10-22): For the last 20 years, Britain was unable to put a barrel on its tanks without buying from abroad. Relying on foreign allies seemed like a reasonable choice… Primary source: original at The Guardian (theguardian.com).

October 22, 2026 3:34 PM GMT · The Guardian

Race to rearm: Telford gun hall brings tank barrel production back to the UK

For the last 20 years, Britain was unable to put a barrel on its tanks without buying from abroad. Relying on foreign allies seemed like a reasonable choice during years of relative security (for wealthy countries at least) after the end of the cold war.

But Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has changed the calculation – and prompted a scramble to rearm among European countries, including the UK.

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