WAGES worth hundreds of millions of pounds every year to Barrow shipyard workers will be at stake today when MPs take part in a historic vote.
The House of Commons was this afternoon due to debate Trident - the UK's continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent - followed by a vote due by 10pm this evening for or against the renewal of the programme.
CLICK HERE FOR LIVE COVERAGE AND FOOTAGE FROM THE DEBATE AND VOTE
Britain's Trident missiles are carried onboard four Barrow-built Vanguard-class submarines, which the government says have been protecting our sovereignty 24/7 since 1969. The submarines have a lifespan of 25 years and are due to come out of service in the late 2020s.
Work to replace the boats, known as the Successor programme, has already been started at Barrow's shipyard, with hundreds of millions of pounds spent on design, long-term procurement and new facilities.
Speaking to the Evening Mail, defence minister Philip Dunne said Britain's ability to protect itself was impossible "without the people of Barrow".
"Monday will be a historic day for Barrow," the procurement minister said.
"It will set the scene for two decades of work - it will start the firing gun."
Mr Dunne said that a vote in favour of the motion today would mean an additional investment in Barrow's facilities of "hundreds of millions of pounds" on top of the £350m the government has already earmarked for the town.
"There will be more announcements about investment, hundreds of millions more in the facilities and then manufacture of the boats as well," he revealed.
Every year, BAE Systems spends around £250m in wages to staff across its submarines business, with the vast majority of the 7,000-strong workforce being employed in Barrow.
Praising the highly-skilled workers at the shipyard, Mr Dunne said: "Barrow is fundamental to our ability to maintain our sovereignty and strategic deterrent and this will remain the case for many years to come.
"We couldn't do this without the people of Barrow."
A majority vote in favour of the motion is expected, across a number of political parties, although a number of MPs, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, are set to vote against the motion.
"It is difficult for me, as a Conservative minister, to take the current Labour leader's posturing seriously but this is serious," Mr Dunne said, before adding that he was confident the motion would be passed, with or without cross-party support.
That this house:
Supports the government’s assessment in the 2015 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review that the UK’s independent minimum credible nuclear deterrent, based on a continuous at-sea deterrence posture, will remain essential to the UK's security today as it has for over 60 years, and for as long as the global security situation demands, to deter the most extreme threats to the UK's national security and way of life and that of the UK's allies;
Supports the decision to take the necessary steps required to maintain the current posture by replacing the current Vanguard-class submarines with four Successor submarines;
Recognises the importance of this programme to the UK’s defence industrial base and in supporting thousands of highly skilled engineering jobs;
Notes that the government will continue to provide annual reports to Parliament on the programme;
Recognises that the UK remains committed to reducing its overall nuclear weapon stockpile by the mid-2020s;
And supports the government’s commitment to continue work towards a safer and more stable world, pressing for key steps towards multilateral disarmament.
The shipyard in Barrow is five years into the design phase with the procurement of long lead items under way - including key large machinery, electrical equipment, castings and forgings;
At peak, BAE Systems anticipates having between 5,000 and 6,000 working on the Successor programme and more than 9,000 in the submarines business in total;
At present, more than 1,700 people are working on the Successor programme, with 180 having been recruited in 2015;
Every year BAE pays £250m in wages to those employed in its submarines business - the vast majority of which goes to the Barrow workforce.
Peter Gillett Former systems director Peter Gillett worked at the shipyard for almost 40 years.
Mr Gillett, who lives in Ireleth, said the yard and its order book is vital to the town and a vote against Successor would be disastrous.
Mr Gillett, whose two sons also worked in the yard, said he would be keeping his fingers crossed on Monday ahead of the vote in the House of Commons.
"If we don't go ahead the yard will be in crisis very quickly," he said.
"A vote in favour of the motion will cement the future of Barrow and the future of the town's families."
Keep Our Future Afloat Campaign's vice chairman and Unite representative for Barrow shipyard workers Azza Samms said: “Since 2004 when Kofac was launched, and prior to that, since 2000 , when the Shipbuilding Communities Campaign operated, Kofac and the trade unions have championed the need for a steady drumbeat of orders for nuclear-powered submarines, and especially the successor sub programme.
"In doing so they have been ably supported by John Hutton MP (now Lord Hutton) and then John Woodcock MP, Barrow Borough and Cumbria County Councils, FEDF and its predecessor.
Kev Robinson, Azza Samms, Clive Kitchen, Tim Griffiths and Dave Thompson head to London to lobby MPs ahead of the Trident vote. Picture: KOFAC “On Monday afternoon and into the evening we will be clearly reminding MPs’ that the Successor programme is of vital importance to the security of the nation and the skilled people living in the hundreds of communities and working in over 1,000 companies which contribute to its construction and operation.
“With four new submarines the Royal Navy will have the capability it needs to defend the Nation, deliver continuously-at-sea submarine based strategic deterrent patrols and sustain the skills in the industrial supply chain necessary to provide that defence capability and ensure its operation whilst in service.
“Should the submarine replacement programme be approved by Parliament it will mark the start of a new period of prosperity that we can use to create a more diverse and resilient economy with new businesses, stronger supply chains securer jobs and long term career prospects, especially for young people.”
Today's debate on Trident is scheduled to start at 3.30pm with a deadline of 10pm by which a vote must take place.
However, other parliamentary issues and questions must be dealt with before the debate and vote can take place.
Indications suggest the debate on Trident won't begin until around 6pm. By 10pm a vote must take place and if the results appear to be close, the house will be 'divided' and all MPs will leave the chamber before walking through one of two voting lobbies to register their vote.
In 2007, MPs backed plans to renew Trident by 409 to 61 votes and many have since reaffirmed their allegiance ahead of Monday's vote.
Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock has come under fire for speaking against the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn over the issue. Mr Corbyn believes the programme should NOT be renewed, unlike many of his MPs.
However, Labour MPs will have a free vote - meaning they will not be 'forced' to vote one way or another by the whip. Official Labour Party policy has been to support renewal. The SNP has a long-standing opposition to nuclear weapons and has confirmed its intention to oppose the renewal of the Clyde-based nuclear fleet when it goes to the vote at Westminster.
A result will be announced shortly after the voting process has taken place. It is likely the result may not be revealed until around 10.15pm/10.30pm. A result may not be announced until 10.30pm.
Former shipyard boss Murray Easton sent a message to the Barrow workers ahead of today's vote.
The workforce in the shipyard possess invaluable skills and experience and in order for these to be retained for the national benefit, they need that this important discussion is concluded to a positive end as urgently as possible," Mr Easton said.
"Not only is the national interest best served by having a timely final decision on the deterrent, but the community prosperity in Barrow at large, as well as that of the extensive supply chain which is represented in many parts of the UK, is totally dependent on a positive outcome.
"As always I wish the many good people of a town for which I have long had the highest regard the very best outcome... they certainly deserve having the confidence in long term security."
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