Fashion and textiles industry urges PM Burnham to back British-made uniforms through public contracts

Fashion Roundtable and UK fashion industry signatories have called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to introduce onshoring requirements for public-sector textiles, beginning with NHS and defence uniforms.

The open letter, published on this week, asks for a meeting before the government finalises its Number 10 North initiative. Signatories include presenter and Buffalo Systems co-owner Ben Fogle, alongside representatives from the fashion and textiles sector.

Tamara Cincik of Fashion Roundtable

Fashion Roundtable, the fashion industry think tank and lobbying group, said procurement could connect Burnham’s commitments on decentralisation, reindustrialisation, regional growth and stronger local decision-making with existing UK manufacturing capacity.

The wider UK fashion and textiles industry contributes £62 billion to GDP and supports 1.3 million jobs, according to figures cited in the letter. These totals cover the broader sector rather than domestic garment manufacturing alone.

Onshoring requirements and a textiles task force

The open letter makes two principal requests:

• Require public textile contracts to go to suppliers manufacturing in the UK, starting with defence and NHS uniforms.
• Establish a manufacturing and textiles task force spanning DCMS, DBT, Defra, the Ministry of Defence, DHSC and the Cabinet Office.

The manufacturing condition should cover where goods are produced, rather than where the successful bidder is registered, the group said. This would prevent UK-based intermediaries from winning contracts while continuing to source finished goods overseas.

Kate Hills, founder and CEO of business support platform Make it British, said: “The single biggest ask is a British-made requirement in public contracts for textile goods, starting with defence and NHS uniforms, and crucially it must specify where products are manufactured, not just where the winning company is registered.”

A February parliamentary debate put the British Army clothing budget at almost £80 million annually and NHS uniform frameworks at £125 million over five years. MPs were also told that 6% of UK military uniforms were made domestically, based on figures from a 2013 inquiry.

Public orders could support factory investment

Fashion Roundtable based its proposals on an April 2026 report produced with the University of Birmingham’s Local Policy Innovation Partnership Hub. The research identified dependable public orders as a way to retain skills and strengthen regional manufacturing.

Its recommended procurement changes included longer contracts, clearer demand forecasts, contract sizes accessible to smaller manufacturers and improved payment terms. Fashion Roundtable said the sector’s main constraint was fragmented policy rather than an absence of skills or production capability.

The organisation also cited the pandemic procurement process as evidence that a change in policy is needed. The UK Covid-19 Inquiry found that £9.9 billion of PPE was written off because it was unused or out of date, and called for a domestic strategy covering essential healthcare equipment.

Fashion Roundtable CEO Tamara Cincik said: “During the pandemic I saw a total fiasco in the procurement of vitally needed PPE. Kate Hills and I were asked by the then government to attend regular calls on public procurement and it was clear to both of us that the right hand did not know what the left hand was doing, and this is all avoidable if public procurement is brought back onshore. Not only for the jobs and income it brings back to Britain, but also to ensure greater transparency, reduce waste and stabilise British manufacturing.” 

The Private White VC factory

Burnham’s clothing puts UK production in focus

The intervention follows mainstream media criticism of Burnham for wearing clothing, including an £80 T-shirt and £700 jacket, from British company Private White VC, with suggestions that the cost of his fashion choices demonstrate he is out of touch with ordinary working people.

However many have come out in support of Burnham's move. Private White VC produces clothing at a 173-year-old Greater Manchester factory and is one of the UK's last remaining British-made brands. The company has defended its pricing as a reflection of skilled local labour and garments designed for long-term use. Its CEO James Eden has appeared in media interviews defending Burnham's choice and said it was a show of support for British industry and jobs, as well as showing a commitment to sustainable and ethical practice. 

The episode placed the PM's individual purchasing choices under scrutiny, while Fashion Roundtable’s letter shifts the focus to government buying power. The organisation is seeking talks with Burnham before the structure and priorities of Number 10 North are settled.

Anyone wishing to add their names to the letter are invited to email meg.pirie@fashionroundtable.co.uk