ANDY Burnham is set to unveil an £8.4 billion investment for nuclear submarines to get the new HMS Dreadnought through its sea trials and ready for service by the 2030s.
The nuclear-armed submarines are set to replace the current Vanguard Class when they enter service and will be capable of launching Trident 2 D5 ballistic missiles.
They will be powered by a Rolls-Royce nuclear propulsion system, produced in Derby, giving them almost unlimited range.
HMS Dreadnought is the first of four new nuclear submarines.
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While the money will support the first boat’s progress towards being ready for service, some of the cash will go towards getting the second boat, HMS Valiant, to its sea trials phase.
Manufacturers will also be supported to get the third and fourth boats through their construction phases.
The Prime Minister 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 40 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.”
Burnham’s announcement on Thursday will follow his pledge to tackle joblessness among young people.
On a visit earlier this week to Alstom, a rail manufacturer in Derby, he said the “first thing” he needed to do was stop the rise in young people not in education, employment or training (Neet).
The latest data, published in May, showed the number of young people aged 16-24 neither working nor learning passed one million for the first time since 2013, reaching 1.01 million in the three months from January to March.
“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,” Burnham said.
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“We’ve got to put those building blocks in place, and then, in time, that number will come down.”
The wider UK Defence Nuclear Enterprise is thought to support around 47,000 jobs, including 9000 in Aldermaston and Burghfield in Berkshire, 8000 at Devonport naval base in Plymouth, and 13,500 at Barrow in Cumbria.
On the Dreadnought Class submarine programme, £5.9 billion of the £8.4 billion will go to BAE Systems, with £2.5 billion for the wider supply chain.
Burnham faces questions about his defence policies, including how he will pay for a commitment to reach 3.5% of GDP on defence spending by 2035.
Asked at a press conference on Wednesday whether he would meet the commitment, the Prime Minister pointed to the deadline in the next decade.
“In terms of our Nato commitments, I have been very clear that we will honour those commitments,” he said.
Burnham’s pick for Chancellor, John Healey, resigned as Keir Starmer’s defence secretary last month, warning that the former prime minister was “unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats”.
The Defence Investment Plan (Dip) which followed – including a pledge to fund the fitting of four Dreadnought submarines in Barrow – took expected total defence investment over the next four years to £298 billion.
Defence spending by the end of the decade will be 2.7% of GDP, according to the document.
It is thought the Prime Minister will hail Barrow as a case study for how taxpayer investment in major Government projects can support opportunities in the long term throughout the UK.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: “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.”
Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge warned the money “would appear to be a reannouncement of funding previously confirmed in the Dip”, but added: “We nevertheless welcome continued progress on the Dreadnought programme.”
The Conservative frontbencher continued: “It’s concerning that there is still no detail at all on the big promise of the strategic defence review, which was the procurement of ‘up to 12’ attack submarines.
“The Dip was meant to clarify exactly what ‘up to 12’ meant but we are still none the wiser.
“At the same time, Burnham is adding to the uncertainty by failing to commit to the very pathway to 3% (by 2030) which his Chancellor demanded when he resigned as defence secretary.
“It’s welcome that we now have a consensus with the Government on backing the nuclear deterrent and it’s right we send our adversaries the message that we are all behind the workforce of Barrow and Devonport, which supports and builds our submarines.”
The Liberal Democrats’ defence spokesman James MacCleary called for defence bonds, saying Thursday would be a “missed opportunity” to bolster spending.
“This is a real missed opportunity for Andy Burnham to have heeded Liberal Democrat calls for defence bonds and raise dedicated funding to rebuild capabilities across the whole of the armed forces,” he said.
Green Party Westminster leader Ellie Chowns criticised the decision to spend billions of pounds on “weapons that must never be used”.
She added that “ministers should not pretend that the best way to create employment is by funnelling ever-increasing sums into the nuclear weapons programme”, urging Mr Burnham’s top team to “turn their attention in the first instance to unlocking opportunities in the clean, green economy”.
Facts Only
* An investment of £8.4 billion is set for nuclear submarines to bring HMS Dreadnought through sea trials and readiness by the 2030s.
* The new submarines will replace the Vanguard Class.
* They will be capable of launching Trident 2 D5 ballistic missiles.
* Propulsion will be provided by a Rolls-Royce nuclear propulsion system manufactured in Derby.
* HMS Dreadnought is the first of four new nuclear submarines.
* Funding will support HMS Dreadnought's readiness, the sea trials for HMS Valiant, and construction phases for the third and fourth boats.
* £5.9 billion of the £8.4 billion will be allocated to BAE Systems, with £2.5 billion for the wider supply chain.
* The UK Defence Nuclear Enterprise supports approximately 47,000 jobs across locations including Aldermaston, Burghfield, Devonport, and Barrow.
* The overall defence investment plan budgeted an expected total of £298 billion over four years to fund fitting four Dreadnought submarines in Barrow.
Executive Summary
An investment of £8.4 billion is planned for nuclear submarines to facilitate the sea trials and service readiness of the new HMS Dreadnought by the 2030s. These nuclear-armed submarines will replace the current Vanguard Class and possess the capability to launch Trident 2 D5 ballistic missiles, powered by a Rolls-Royce nuclear propulsion system. The funding will support the first submarine's progress while also allocating resources for the sea trials of HMS Valiant and the construction phases of the third and fourth vessels. The Prime Minister framed this as a matter of national security, linking the programme to creating 47,000 jobs and apprenticeships in regions like Barrow.
The announcement follows statements by Andy Burnham regarding tackling youth unemployment, with a reference made to addressing the rise in young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET). The context includes various political reactions concerning defence spending commitments and job creation versus investment in other economic areas. Furthermore, figures indicate that £5.9 billion of the total funding will go to BAE Systems for the Dreadnought programme, with £2.5 billion allocated to the wider supply chain.
Full Take
The narrative links massive national security expenditure directly to localized economic opportunity and workforce development in specific industrial areas like Barrow. This linkage functions as a mechanism for justifying large-scale public spending by tying it to tangible, regional benefits, framing defence procurement not just as a military necessity but as an engine for 'reindustrialised Britain' and addressing youth joblessness. The tension arises between the imperative of strategic defence capability and the competing demands placed on government resources, evidenced by questions raised about meeting long-term spending commitments like reaching 3.5% of GDP on defence spending.
The diverse reactions from political parties and advocacy groups reveal a fundamental disagreement over the prioritization of public funds: some prioritize immediate security and industrial heritage (as argued by the Defence Secretary), while others demand redirection toward alternative economic priorities, such as clean energy or direct job creation outside the defence sphere. The framework subtly sets up an implicit trade-off: is investment in nuclear deterrence prioritized alongside addressing socio-economic anxieties like NEET rates? Furthermore, the debate over funding mechanisms—such as increased defence bonds versus broader economic investments—highlights a systemic disagreement on where national agency should be focused.
The pattern suggests a strategy of anchoring large, abstract strategic goals (nuclear deterrent) to concrete, local employment outcomes to build broad consensus. The cost is the framing itself: by tying vast sums to specific communities, the discussion shifts from fiscal accountability to identity and legacy. What assumptions about the relationship between state security investments and localized prosperity are being relied upon?
Sentinel — Human
This text reads like standard, complex political reporting, successfully synthesizing policy details, economic context, and conflicting political perspectives from named sources.