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Drone warfare isn't a niche part of modern conflict anymore — it's becoming the main way wars are fought. And Britain's chosen my hometown, Swindon, as one of the places to build for it.
In this episode I sit down with Will Stone, Labour MP for Swindon North, to talk about how a town with no defence industry two years ago now has five drone companies setting up, a Ministry of Defence testing centre going up on the old Honda site that's being called the largest of its kind in Europe, and the Prime Minister visiting twice.
We get into what this actually means for jobs and apprenticeships in Swindon, how warfare itself is changing, and — because "drones built in Swindon" isn't as simple as it sounds — who these companies actually are: German, Portuguese, Norwegian and American firms alongside one genuinely British one, backed by everyone from Peter Thiel's Founders Fund to the CIA's own venture arm. We ask where the money really comes from, who these weapons are ultimately for, and whether the UK carries any responsibility for how they're used.
We also cover the wider picture: Britain's new PM Andy Burnham, the defence spending row that helped bring him to power, the war in Iran, the Chinese-components scandal that hit Royal Navy hardware, and the new Gulf defence pact being read as a hedge against relying on America. And yes — since Will's a jiu-jitsu black belt — I had to ask him who in Parliament he reckons he could take in a fight.
Guest: Will Stone MP, Labour MP for Swindon North
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