THE £2bn investment into the UK submarine programme is a ‘welcome boost’ to Barrow, says the Shadow Defence Secretary.

It was announced this week that defence contracts worth more than £2 billion have been awarded to BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce to begin the third major phase of the future submarine nuclear deterrent programme – Dreadnought.

The overall programme will support around 30,000 jobs across the UK from design through to build, Delivery Phase 3 (DP3) represents the most significant stage of the Dreadnought programme so far.

In 2021 alone, it supported around 13,500 jobs in the Northwest of England and a further 16,300 over the rest of the UK, making a significant contribution to the Government's levelling-up agenda.

READ MORE: BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce awarded £2b investment by Ministry of Defence

The investment is the latest financial commitment between the Ministry of Defence, BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, and is the initial investment within a planned overall total of nearly £10 billion for the whole delivery phase.

DP3 will see the first of four submarines, HMS Dreadnought, exit the Barrow shipyard to begin sea trials, laying the foundation to sustain the Continuous at Sea Deterrence (CASD) for as long as the international security situation makes it necessary.

In reaction to the £2bn investment plans, John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary, said: “This is a welcome boost to Barrow by supporting thousands of highly skilled jobs in the local area, and for Britain’s national defence as we protect the future of our UK nuclear deterrent.

“Labour’s support for maintaining Britain’s nuclear deterrence is non-negotiable and last year I spelled out Labour’s commitment to building these new submarines at Barrow.

“As the Party of working people and trade unions, Labour sees defence spending as a force for good in the country. It strengthens our UK economy and strengthens our national sovereignty.

READ MORE: Shadow defence secretary visits Barrow shipyard

“Yet Tory Ministers are buying more and more from abroad, with 31 per cent of our defence budget now going to the US when the figure was just 10 per cent a few years ago.   

“That is why a Labour Government would adopt a ‘British by default’ plan for defence procurement and set a higher bar for decisions to procure Britain’s defence equipment from other countries.”