UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to announce an £8.4bn investment in Britain’s next generation of nuclear-powered submarines, as his government moves to strengthen the country’s strategic defence capabilities while using major military projects to create jobs and revive industrial communities.
The funding package will support the development of the Dreadnought-class submarines, which are expected to enter service during the 2030s and replace the ageing Vanguard-class fleet that currently carries Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent.
The programme represents one of the largest defence investments in the United Kingdom’s history and is designed to ensure that the country maintains its continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent for decades to come.
The announcement is expected to place Barrow-in-Furness at the centre of Britain’s defence and industrial strategy, with the town’s shipbuilding workforce responsible for constructing the submarines.
According to the Burnham led administration, the investment will support around 47,000 jobs and apprenticeships across the wider UK defence nuclear business, including thousands of highly skilled posts in communities associated to the submarine development.
The first vessel in the new fleet, HMS Dreadnought, is already under construction and will receive a large amount of the budget to help its advancement towards operational readiness. Additional expenditure will also help progress the second submarine, HMS Valiant, towards sea trials, while supporting building work on the third and fourth boats in the class.
The submarines will be powered by a Rolls-Royce nuclear propulsion system manufactured in Derby, allowing them to operate with virtually unlimited range and remain at sea for extended periods. Each vessel will be capable of carrying Trident 2 D5 ballistic missiles, which form the core of Britain’s nuclear deterrence capability.
Speaking ahead of the announcement, Andy Burnham stated that “keeping this country safe is the first responsibility of any government.But security is not only about what we build, it is about who builds it, and who benefits from it.”
“The submarines produced in Barrow will protect Britain for decades to come, and the 47,000 jobs and apprenticeships will change lives both in this town and in dozens of places like it. British money, spent on British workers, British firms and British skills, in the places that were written off for 40 years.
Andy Burnham
He added, “to every young person across the country, I want you to know that there is a path for you into a reindustrialised Britain and it starts with the apprenticeships we are funding through this investment today.”
The announcement forms part of Burnham’s broader effort to tackle youth unemployment and expand opportunities for young people entering the workforce.
During a visit earlier this week to rail manufacturer Alstom in Derby, the Prime Minister identified reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training as one of his government’s immediate priorities.
The latest figures published in May showed that the number of young people aged between 16 and 24 who were neither working nor studying had exceeded one million for the first time since 2013. The figure reached 1.01 million between January and March, raising concerns about skills development and access to employment opportunities.
Burnham argued that young people should not be blamed for rising inactivity rates, pointing instead to weaknesses within education and training systems.
“It would be wrong to blame the young people when we have an education system that doesn’t set them up properly, where some struggle to find opportunities at 16, where work experience and work placements aren’t there for them.”
Andy Burnham
According to the Prime Minister, “we’ve got to put those building blocks in place, and then, in time, that number will come down.”
Defence Spending Debate Returns as Government Defends Submarine Investment
While the Dreadnought investment has received support from defence industry representatives and local leaders, it also comes amid continuing debate over Britain’s long-term military spending commitments.
The government estimates that the wider Defence Nuclear Enterprise supports around 47,000 jobs across the country. These include approximately 9,000 positions at Aldermaston and Burghfield in Berkshire, 8,000 at Devonport naval base in Plymouth and 13,500 roles in Barrow, where the submarines are being built.
Of the £8.4bn investment package, around £5.9bn will be allocated to BAE Systems, which is responsible for constructing the submarines, while £2.5bn will support the wider supply chain involved in the programme.
However, the announcement places renewed focus on questions surrounding Burnham’s defence spending plans, particularly his commitment to reaching NATO’s target of spending 3.5% of gross domestic product on defence by 2035.
The issue has become politically sensitive following the resignation of John Healey as former Prime Minister, Keir Starmer’s Defence Secretary before Burnham’s expected arrival in Downing Street. Healey had criticised the previous government, arguing that it had failed to provide sufficient resources to address growing security threats.
The subsequent Defence Investment Plan included commitments to fund the Dreadnought submarine programme and raised expected defence investment over the next four years to £298bn. However, defence spending is projected to reach only 2.7% of GDP by the end of the decade.
UK Prime Minister, Andy Burnham explained that, “in terms of our Nato commitments, I have been very clear that we will honour those commitments,” adding that “it does mean being prepared to look at challenging issues.”
Moreover, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has described the submarine investment as “essential to keeping the UK secure, acting as the ultimate deterrent to our adversaries in an increasingly dangerous world.”
“This milestone investment breathes new life into Barrow’s historic traditions and secures our commitment to deliver Dreadnought Class submarines by backing British industry.”
Wes Streeting
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