PM ANNOUNCES £8.4BN INVESTMENT IN DREADNOUGHT SUBMARINE PROGRAMME

The Prime Minister has announced an £8.4 billion investment in the next stage of the UK's Dreadnought-class nuclear deterrent submarine programme during a visit to Barrow-in-Furness. The funding will support progress towards readiness for the first submarine, HMS Dreadnought, with a portion also allocated to advance the second vessel, HMS Valiant, to its sea trials. Manufacturers will be supported to progress the third and fourth boats through their construction phases. The submarines will be powered by Rolls-Royce nuclear propulsion systems and equipped to launch Trident 2 D5 ballistic missiles.

According to government figures, the investment supports tens of thousands of jobs and thousands of companies across the UK supply chain. One account states the programme will deliver 22,000 apprenticeships by 2035, whilst another claims 47,000 jobs and apprenticeships will result from the investment. The submarines are intended to replace the current Vanguard-class vessels and will operate with almost unlimited operational range, with readiness targeted for the 2030s. The Prime Minister stated that the investment represents "British money, spent on British workers, British firms and British skills, in the places that were written off for 40 years".

The announcement follows the Prime Minister's earlier pledge to address youth unemployment. Official data published in May showed the number of young people aged 16-24 neither in employment nor education or training reached 1.01 million in the three months to March, the highest figure recorded since 2013. The Prime Minister has also announced a new apprenticeship scheme aimed at helping young people in the Northwest access employment opportunities.