Burnham drives defence to deliver security and growth in every postcode with £8.4bn nuclear submarine investment supporting 22,000 apprenticeships

Burnham drives defence to deliver security and growth in every postcode with £8.4bn nuclear submarine investment supporting 22,000 apprenticeships
A major £8.4bn investment in the UK’s nuclear deterrent, delivering jobs and opportunity for young people for years to come, is set to be announced by the Prime Minister today.
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Prime Minister announces major £8.4 billion investment in next stage of UK’s Dreadnought nuclear deterrent submarine build programme during visit to Barrow-in-Furness
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Investment in the programme supports tens of thousands of jobs and thousands of companies across the UK supply chain, including 22,000 apprenticeships by 2035
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Prime Minister set to also announce new apprenticeship scheme aimed at helping young people in the Northwest access employment, delivering on the technical skills pledge earlier this week
A major £8.4bn investment in the UK’s nuclear deterrent, delivering jobs and opportunity for young people for years to come, is set to be announced by the Prime Minister today.
Tens of thousands of jobs will be supported – from Barrow to Bristol – and hundreds of businesses bolstered by the major tranche of defence investment.
Speaking in Barrow today, the Prime Minister will say that the region is a case study for how taxpayer investment into major government projects should deliver long-term opportunities and rejuvenation for communities across the UK. He will add that the government will set out more on how it will do that in the coming weeks, to ensure major projects deliver for more places like Barrow.
The investment is worth around £8.4 billion and will begin the fourth phase of the UK’s Dreadnought Class submarine programme, boosting the UK’s national security for generations and driving economic growth in every postcode.
The announcement comes as the Prime Minister visits Barrow to see first-hand how the investment is transforming the local community, including through the 1,800 additional roles that have been created in Barrow under this government.
The UK’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise currently supports around 47,000 British jobs – forecast to rise to 65,000 by 2030, including 22,000 apprenticeships by 2035 – and a supply chain of more than 6,000 UK-based companies, demonstrating how Government procurement can change the livelihoods of thousands of families when invested back into the UK.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said:
“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 forty years. 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.”
During the visit, the Prime Minister will also unveil a new apprenticeship scheme designed to help young people in the Northwest of England access skilled employment opportunities.
The trailblazing initiative will help local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the local defence supply chain to recruit and train 30 apprentices across the next three years and will use the successful apprenticeship model set up by BAE Systems in the region.
It is an example of how the government is baking in opportunities for young people to its approach to procurement and paves the way for more schemes to help those who miss out on their first choice apprenticeships– delivering growth and prosperity for local communities across the UK.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said:
“Our nuclear-armed submarines are 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.
“Supporting thousands of skilled, local jobs, we are fusing Barrow’s proud heritage with modern technology to build our security for the future, supporting the next generation to keep our country safe as their parents and grandparents did.”
Delivery Phase 4 (DP4) will see HMS Dreadnought, the first of the four new nuclear deterrent submarines, complete its sea trials and be ready to enter service with the Royal Navy in the early 2030s.
This next phase follows significant progress at BAE Systems’ shipyard in Barrow, the home of UK submarine building, where a 40% increase in productivity has been achieved over the last three years, and around 1,800 additional roles have been created under this government.
The new contract will also see boat two, HMS Valiant, reach sea trials and boats three and four progressing through their construction phases.
Today’s announcements demonstrates the government’s continued commitment to delivering on the Strategic Defence Review and maintaining its nuclear deterrent under the nuclear triple lock.
Notes to editors
The 47,000 jobs are across the UK including in:
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HMNB Devonport, Plymouth: 8000 jobs
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Bristol: 2,500 jobs
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Aldermaston and Burghfield: 9,000 jobs
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Sheffield: 700 jobs
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Barrow: 13,500 jobs
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Thurso: 250 jobs
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HMNB Clyde: 5000 jobs
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Rosyth: 850
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Derby: 4000 jobs
The Defence Nuclear Enterprise is a partnership of organisations across government and industry, who are responsible for operating, maintaining and renewing the nuclear deterrent. The UK’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise industry spans across the UK.
For example:
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Our nuclear armed deterrent submarines (Dreadnought Class) and our attack submarines (Astute Class and SSN AUKUS) are designed and built by BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness
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Our nuclear reactor cores are produced by Rolls-Royce in Derby;
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Our warheads are designed and built by AWE in Aldermaston;
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Specialist steel for our nuclear reactors is produced by Sheffield Forgemasters in Sheffield;
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Maintenance of our submarines takes place by Babcock in Devonport;
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Our submarine operations are supported in Northwood, Portsmouth, and on the Clyde
£5.9bn of the £8.4bn announced on Thursday will go to BAE Systems, £2.5bn to the wider supply chain.
The contracts include measures to drive the pace of delivery, cost control and productivity. Reforms to the Single Source Contract Regulations announced earlier this year are also supporting improvements in procurement, aligning incentives with performance, encouraging innovation and faster and more efficient delivery.