A Hampshire defence entrepreneur has thrown down the gauntlet to Andy Burnham, urging the Labour leadership frontrunner to make this month’s Farnborough International Airshow one of his first engagements, potentially on his first day in Downing Street.
Andrew Barnett, managing director of Fareham-based Barnbrook Systems and chair of the South Central Regional Defence and Security Cluster, says the Makerfield MP’s attendance at the global showcase, which runs from 20 to 24 July, would send an unmistakable signal that the next occupant of Number 10 is serious about national security, the economy and UK plc.
The intervention comes at a moment of extraordinary political flux. Potential candidates for the Labour leadership have from 9 to 15 July to secure the backing of 81 MPs, and until 16 July to gather nominations from affiliated bodies such as trade unions. If only one candidate clears the threshold, the new leader will be confirmed at a special Labour conference on Friday 17 July before being appointed Prime Minister, three days before the airshow opens. A contested race would push the result to a members’ ballot concluding on 29 August.
“Andy Burnham must tie his colours to the mast,” said Barnett, who also sits on the board of the Farnborough Aerospace Consortium. “The opening day of the airshow on July 20 may be his very first day in office if he stands unopposed for PM, yet that will make it even more important that he attends.
“No doubt he will have an overflowing in-tray, but defence, keeping our country and its people safe, and greater defence spending must be at the very top of his list of priorities.
“Equally, if other candidates are standing and the date for the Labour leadership contest is pushed back, it is critical that they attend too, as a statement of intent of how important defence will be when they take office.
“The world is becoming increasingly unstable while warfare is rapidly evolving before our eyes. The UK must have the technology, investment and supply chains to support our own military and those of our allies.”
Barnett confirmed he has written to Burnham setting out the case for attending and has invited him to meet, an offer he says will be extended to any rival candidates who emerge. Burnham has already begun courting the business vote, recently signalling room for movement on tax alongside a pledge to cut business rates for pubs and high street firms, but the defence sector will want to see that warmth extended to Britain’s security industrial base.
The stakes for suppliers are considerable. The government’s Strategic Defence Review committed the UK to spending 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence from 2027, and ministers have since moved to give small defence firms easier access to MoD contracts through a dedicated growth unit. SMEs such as Barnbrook will be watching closely to see whether a new Prime Minister keeps that momentum going.
There is precedent for prime ministerial attendance. Barnett met Sir Keir Starmer shortly after his election at the 2024 airshow, which yielded £13 billion in deals for the UK aerospace industry. Following Sir Keir’s resignation announcement, Barnett called on his successor to place pro-business policies at the heart of the government’s economic plan.
This year’s show, held every two years and built around the pillars of Advancing Aerospace, Propelling Defence and Pioneering Space, is expected to be the biggest yet. Organisers are forecasting record visitor numbers, with six exhibition halls instead of five, expanded flying and static displays and a notably strong showing from defence companies, a reflection of a sector that, according to ADS Group figures, now sits within industries contributing more than £42 billion a year to the UK economy.
Barnbrook Systems will exhibit for the 16th consecutive time, from the Farnborough Aerospace Consortium stand in Hall 1, UK Village, Stand 1317. The global solutions provider, which serves the defence, aviation and aerospace markets, will showcase new and upgraded technology and services.
The firm specialises in Intelligent Internet of Things (IIoT) technology alongside Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) work that breathes new life into older defence assets. That includes supply solutions for engine controls and flight actuators on fighter aircraft still in active service around the world, among them the Tornado, Jaguar, Hawk and Sea Harrier, as well as temperature monitors and rotary variable differential transformers.
Barnbrook, which holds both Federal Aviation Administration and Civil Aviation Authority accreditations, recently landed a seven-figure, ten-year contract to supply and maintain relays on Rolls-Royce marine engines across a friendly foreign navy’s entire destroyer fleet. Its BlueCube-enabled IIoT refuelling switches for Leonardo helicopters have transformed the safety and efficiency of inflight refuelling, and it will also demonstrate its E:BAG fire suppression system for lithium-ion battery fires in phones, tablets, power banks, laptops and vapes.
With almost 50 staff and offices in the United States and Europe, the Fareham firm punches well above its weight as both prime contractor and subcontractor to multinationals, the UK MOD and overseas governments.
Whether the next Prime Minister chooses to walk the halls at Farnborough remains to be seen. For Barnett, the calculation is simple: in an unstable world, showing up matters.
