Government says Clyde submarine docks and research vessel will be built in Britain
The Royal Navy’s submarine service at HM Naval Base Clyde will receive three floating docks through a UK-only competition; a new research vessel is set to be operational in the early 2030s.
The UK government says three new floating docks for the Royal Navy’s submarine service at HM Naval Base Clyde and a new marine research vessel will be built in Britain, in a news release by HM Government published on GOV.UK.
Chancellor John Healey will pledge a “new age of industrialisation” for Britain as he confirms that the multi-billion pound projects will be built by British workers, supporting jobs and a pipeline of small British businesses. The release refers to two major maritime projects worth billions of pounds, although one line of its summary mentions three.
According to the release, Healey will confirm that the submarine service will receive the docks, known as Programme Euston, through a UK-only competition. It gives their importance to national security and sovereign British industry as the reason. The facilities will provide maintenance for the UK’s current and future fleet of nuclear submarines, allowing inspections, upgrades and repairs to be carried out.
The Chancellor has also committed to funding for the research vessel, which the release says will be built in a British shipyard. It is set to be operational in the early 2030s and will replace the current vessel, which is nearing the end of its life, while continuing core research on seas and oceans. The government says the evidence the new ship gathers will help ensure the security of the seas and support sustainable fishing, and give coastal communities confidence in how fish stocks are managed.
Both projects will be delivered by UK companies. The government presents this as part of a greater focus on how it spends taxpayers’ money to boost national security while supporting British jobs and growth in local communities.
Healey said every pound of the investment “is backing British jobs on the Clyde and businesses across the UK”. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said defence spending should make Britain stronger and that this means “backing British by buying British wherever our industry can deliver”. He said HM Naval Base Clyde is “at the heart of our submarine service” and that Programme Euston “will modernise it for decades to come”.