April 16, 2025

“We are at a crossroads in history”

For the centuries that Glovermakers have been making gloves in the United Kingdom they have made it their duty to service the Crown, the Judiciary, the Armed Forces and the State in its widest definition.

So when our Prime Minister tells the country that because of the significance of the moment he will be “Increasing defence spending” to “bolster our national security and help to put more money in people’s pockets” we welcome this statement. In particular his intention to help “smaller businesses access this investment,” by “opening up more opportunities for good, skilled jobs, making communities across the UK better off” demonstrates an understanding of the dynamic and creative forces in industries such as gloves

Over the last half century the U.K. glove industry has lost most of its capacity as globalisation, plus some false concepts of efficiency have taken their toll. The glove business is not static it remains capable of growing once again. We know this will be different as we do not have a huge young population keen to fill thousands of moderately paid manufacturing jobs but we do have significant numbers who want to work with their hands as well as their brains, and to retain ancient crafts and skills within a contemporary world

We have existing and nascent glove businesses who would benefit from supporting all aspects of defence spending growth support8ng U.K. businesses. Those capable of making gloves directly for the military and those producing working gloves for the makers.

While our support for efficiency in business is one hundred per cent, the  efficiency we dislike an approach that makes the product a commodity bought on price alone and ignores the requirement for ongoing research and design in a fast evolving world. Many of the UK’s military, blue light services and industrial gloves are world leading and the outcome of such continuous research and design work. To lose this, plus the component supply chain associated with it, is a false efficiency.

In those areas where U.K. makers are in part importers they have mostly gained a total understanding of the global suppliers and markets, know all the producers and have well established relations with them and British customers. The sudden rush of inexperienced buyers, with little or no product or market knowledge will create chaos, as was seen during the Pandemic. When Dr Rachel Clarke was quoted recently on BBC Radio 4 Today that “some of the PPE suppliers, their initial instinct was to get rich quick and make as many millions as they could from the pandemic” she makes a fair point. If the government had stayed with its trusted suppliers, some of whom in fact were diverting glove stocks into the NHS from more lucrative private contracts, they would have avoided creating entirely new channels chasing the same suppliers and disrupting the pricing and moral integrity of the business at the cost of human lives and the taxpayers purse.

Despite the glove industry having declined in size the importance of gloves is greater than ever and the numbers sold for industrial, medical and fashion are greater than ever.

I am sure all U.K. glovemakers would look forward to supporting the Government as they expand our defence capabilities and rebuild lost supply chains needed for this and the country’s other industrial ambitions.

Michael Redwood

Leather chemist, writer, and advisor on responsible leather manufacturing and material strategy.