BRITAIN will produce more raw materials used to make smartphones, laptops and fridges to end an overreliance on China, the PM has vowed.
Sir Keir Starmer is launching the UK’s first critical minerals strategy in a bid to end the country’s over reliance on imports from foreign countries.
Currently the UK makes just 6 per of the vital components it needs for things like smartphones and other tech.
It means Britain is vulnerable from an overreliance on a select few countries for its supplies of materials needed to power things like electric vehicles, wind turbines and F-35 fighter jets.
But under a first-of-its-kind plan, Britain will aim to produce 10 per cent of the UK’s raw material needs domestically and 20 per cent through recycling by 2035.
Critical minerals – like lithium, nickel copper – are vital for items like smartphones and fridges that are essential for everyday life.
Keir Starmer said: “Critical minerals are the backbone of modern life and our national security – powering everything from smartphones and fighter jets to electric vehicles and wind turbines.
“For too long, Britain has been dependent on a handful of overseas suppliers, leaving our economy and national security exposed to global shocks.
“That is why we are taking decisive action to change that, boosting domestic production, ramping up recycling, and backing British businesses with the investment they need to compete on the international stage and drive down the cost of living for people at home.”
Meanwhile, China’s industrial output soars – especially in it’s military.
A brand new Chinese aircraft carrier last week strengthened Xi Jinping’s hand just as a row erupted over the future of Taiwan.
The aircraft carrier known as ‘Fujian’ was flown out for its first live-force training since beginning its service in the Chinese military.
The mission included various types of carried based air crafts, including the J-35, J-15T, J-15DT, and the KJ-600 early warning aircraft, to test the compatibility between Fujian and the planes it will carry.
