John Howell MP visits Steatite Blazepoint

Steatite Blazepoint today revealed the first photos of a visit by John Howell, MP for Henley, to the company's Oxfordshire headquarters.

During Mr. Howell's visit, Steatite Blazepoint executives expressed their support and admiration for the UK's armed forces and highlighted the potential impact that government spending cuts could have on British companies operating within the UK defence sector.

According to figures released by The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), an independent think tank engaged in defence and security research, the UK's core defence budget could be cut by up to 15 per cent in real terms over the next four years . Blazepoint is concerned about the impact that these cuts could have on the standard of equipment purchased by the MoD and that high-quality UK suppliers to the military could lose out during the procurement process.

"It was a pleasure to visit a world class engineering company in the heart of the constituency. It was not only fascinating to get a glimpse of the technological developments made by Steatote Blazepoint but to also hear first hand about the challenges faced by a company operating at a difficult economic time and in markets in which success is not always guaranteed - even with a portfolio of world-class products. The insights gained from a visit to a company like Steatite Blazepoint are very valuable when it comes to evaluating policy and the company is to be congratulated on the excellent work it does." John Howell, MP for Henley.

“While we understand that government policy and the current economic climate requires the MoD to examine its spending practices and efficiency, we strongly believe that their conclusions and decisions should not lead to a compromise on the quality of equipment used by UK armed forces in their operations. This would ultimately be detrimental to the UK's military operations and to the armed forces' ability to carry out its operations effectively and securely,” added Peter Romney, Operations Director, Steatite Blazepoint.