By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-07-30 02:59:55 | Updated at 2026-07-30 04:45:09
1 hour ago
The Royal Navy is set to receive the next tranche of funding for four new nuclear submarines to replace Britain's current beleaguered fleet.
Andy Burnham will today confirm £8.4billion in funding for the next phase of the Dreadnought nuclear submarine programme during a visit to Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria.
The investment will advance construction of the new nuclear-armed submarines designed to succeed the ageing Vanguard-class fleet, which currently underpins the nation's continuous at-sea Trident deterrent.
Some £5.9billion of the spending announced today will go to BAE Systems, with the rest directed toward the wider supply chain.
Those figures form part of the £63billion ring-fenced for Britain's nuclear deterrence under the Defence Investment Plan.
Mr Burnham is expected to use the trip to promise that the spending will generate tens of thousands of jobs while strengthening hundreds of businesses across the country.
The Defence Nuclear Enterprise currently sustains around 47,000 jobs across Britain, a workforce projected to grow to 65,000 by the end of the decade, with 22,000 apprenticeships anticipated by 2035.
"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," Mr Burnham will say today.
"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."
The investment will advance construction of the new nuclear-armed submarines to succeed the ageing Vanguard-class fleet
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
HMS Dreadnought, the first of the quartet, is on track to finish sea trials and join the Royal Navy fleet in the early 2030s.
Under the new contract, the second vessel, HMS Valiant, will also advance to the sea trials stage, while the third and fourth boats will move forward through their respective construction phases.
The Dreadnought-class subs are built to be easier to sustain, with modern infrastructure and a trained workforce ready to support it when they arrive, according to the UK Defence Journal.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: "Our nuclear-armed submarines are essential to keeping the UK secure, acting as the ultimate deterrent to our adversaries in an increasingly dangerous world."
"This milestone investment breathes new life into Barrow’s historic traditions and secures our commitment to deliver Dreadnought Class submarines by backing British industry.”
Wes Streeting hailed the cash injection as a 'milestone investment' 
PA
But today's £8.4billion figure has been branded "rehashed" and a "reannouncement" by critics.
Reform MP Danny Kruger said the announcement was a "rehashed spending plan" that "does nothing to address the crisis in the UK's nuclear programme".
He said: "If the Prime Minister actually cared about keeping Britain safe and ensuring our Armed Forces can stand alongside our allies, he would commit to a significant increase in spending and a total overhaul of both procurement and the nuclear enterprise.
“Instead, he failed to commit to spending three per cent of GDP on defence by 2030, while his Government's defence investment plan contains a multi-billion-pound black hole."
Meanwhile, Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge warned the money “would appear to be a reannouncement of funding previously confirmed" in the Defence Investment Plan (Dip).
The existing Vanguard fleet has faced severe maintenance delays, mechanical defects, and record-breaking patrol lengths
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
The Tory frontbencher said his party "nevertheless welcome continued progress on the Dreadnought programme".
The existing Vanguard fleet has faced severe maintenance delays, mechanical defects, and record-breaking patrol lengths as the aging hulls operate well beyond their planned 25-year service life.
Because these submarines must maintain a continuous nuclear deterrent at sea, problems with one vessel trigger a dangerous cascading effect across the entire fleet.
In January, First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins visited HMNB Clyde to launch the Submarine Maintenance Recovery Plan.
Sir Gwyn said at the time that “submarine maintenance throughout needs to drastically improve” as he called for a "radical engine for change in the middle of our enterprise".
