The government will partner with industry leaders including BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and EDF and Babcock to invest at least £763 million by 2030 in skills, jobs and education…reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will on Monday announce £200 million of public investment to boost the UK’s nuclear deterrent programme and its civil nuclear industry, which the government says will support 40,000 expected new jobs.
The government will partner with industry leaders including BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and EDF and Babcock to invest at least £763 million by 2030 in skills, jobs and education, Sunak’s Downing Street office said in a press release ahead of his announcement.
The investment aims to ensure that the northern England town of Barrow-in-Furness, where Sunak will make the announcement, “thrives as the home of UK nuclear submarine-building”.
“Safeguarding the future of our nuclear deterrent and nuclear energy industry is a critical national endeavour,” Sunak said ahead of his visit.
“In a more dangerous and contested world, the UK’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent is more vital than ever. And nuclear delivers cheaper, cleaner home-grown energy for consumers,” he added.
“That’s why we are investing in Barrow, the home of UK submarines, and in the jobs and skills of the future in the thriving British nuclear industry.”
As the home of the UK’s Astute-class nuclear submarines – the most advanced attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy – and the new Dreadnought programme and UK AUKUS submarine production, the Cumbrian town of Barrow-in-Furness is also central to the UK’s defence nuclear ambitions. The Prime Minister will therefore announce today the creation of a Barrow Transformation Fund, with the Government committing an immediate £20 million and a further minimum of £20 million a year over the next 10 years to make Barrow an even more attractive place to live, work, and build a nuclear career.
Building on these new investments, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps will later today publish the Government’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise Command Paper, setting out for the first time the full breadth of activity to sustain and modernise the UK’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent – a cornerstone of national and global security for more than 55 years.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, “Safeguarding the future of our nuclear deterrent and nuclear energy industry is a critical national endeavour. In a more dangerous and contested world, the UK’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent is more vital than ever. And nuclear delivers cheaper, cleaner home-grown energy for consumers. That’s why we are investing in Barrow, the home of UK submarines, and in the jobs and skills of the future in the thriving British nuclear industry. Today we usher in the next generation of our nuclear enterprise, which will keep us safe, keep our energy secure, and keep our bills down for good.”
The Defence Command Paper will establish the UK’s nuclear programme as a critical ‘National Endeavour’ which is vital for our long-term security and prosperity.
It is expected to set out how the UK will deliver the capabilities necessary to maintain our independent nuclear deterrent – including progressing plans to bring new Dreadnought Class submarines into service in the early 2030s, deepening cooperation with our partners under the flagship AUKUS agreement and upgrading key infrastructure – supported by an additional £3 billion in funding for our nuclear enterprise announced last year.
The UK’s ambitious defence plans are underpinned by major new investment in Barrow. To unlock Barrow’s huge potential and support a growing workforce, the Government will commit an initial £20 million forimmediate projects, including supporting people towards work, community projects and completing construction on the A595 Grizebeck Bypass, and a minimum of £20 million a year over 10 years to improve health outcomes, build more homes, develop the transport network and support local schools.
The Barrow Transformation Fund will be managed by the Barrow Delivery Board in collaboration with local leaders, who will allocate funding to areas of greatest need.
Charles Woodburn, BAE Systems Chief Executive and member of the Nuclear Skills Executive Council said, “Barrow is at the heart of the UK’s submarine enterprise and as the custodian of our submarine design and build capability, we’re incredibly proud of the role we play in the Astute, Dreadnought and now SSN-AUKUS programmes. Today’s announcement reinforces the importance of continued investment in critical nuclear skills at a time of significant growth for our submarines business and our 13,500 employees. The long-term vision set out in the command paper is hugely welcome and will support the necessary infrastructure development and recruitment required for the delivery of these important national security programmes.”
The investment in nuclear skills – which includes £350 million from the Government and more than £400m from industry – will create some 5,000 new apprenticeships in the next four years. It will also drive private investment and create job opportunities for everyone from specialist scientists and engineers, to welders and electricians, to project managers and Royal Navy submariners.
