South West Devon MP urges action to cut red tape for Plymouth defence firms

Rebecca Smith, Member of Parliament for South West Devon, has called on the Armed Forces Minister to ease regulatory barriers for local defence companies based in Turnchapel Wharf and Cattewater.

During a session in the House of Commons yesterday (December 15) Ms Smith raised concerns about the impact of current regulations on the development and testing of autonomous vessels critical to UK defence innovation. 

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The regulations, particularly the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Workboat Code 3, are preventing local defence companies from obtaining the necessary licences to operate autonomous vessels in the waters around Plymouth.

In her question to the Armed Forces Minister, Ms Smith said, "Turnchapel Wharf and the Cattewater in my constituency host many innovative marine autonomous defence companies, yet the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Workboat Code 3 is hampering the testing, development and utilisation of autonomous vessels. 

“They cannot get the licences to even be out on the water. What conversations has the Minister had with his counterparts in the Department for Transport to stress the urgency of sorting this issue so that the promised defence investment for Plymouth actually gets out to sea?"

In response, Al Carns MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, acknowledged the regulatory challenges and confirmed that the government is working closely with the Department for Transport to resolve the issue. 

He said, “We’ve had a couple of meetings with the Department for Transport, we’ve got a firm grasp of the problem now. Now we need to move forward and unlock legislation to ensure it’s easier and faster for those companies to develop cutting-edge technologies and get it into the open market, but also procure it for defence.”

Ms Smith has long championed the defence sector in her constituency, where the industry supports over 60,000 jobs. 

The Turnchapel Wharf area, in particular, is home to several pioneering companies such as Helsing, Thales, Fugro, Marine AI, Msubs, and ACUA, which are leading the way in marine autonomy.

Last month, Ms Smith met with the owners of Turnchapel Wharf, who brought the licensing issue to her attention. 

The MP is now pushing for changes to ensure that local defence companies can thrive and contribute to the UK’s national security efforts.