Regulation

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

Time Trade session note (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).

22 October 2026, 20:41 BST · 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.