British shipbuilding industry to receive £4bn boost

The Prime Minister will visit a Merseyside dockyard today as he announces a £4bn injection into the UK’s regional shipbuilding industry.

The multi-billion pound investment will galvanise and support shipyards and suppliers across the UK, delivering a pipeline of more than 150 new naval and civil vessels for the UK Government and Devolved Administrations over the next 30 years.

The funding comes as the Ministry of Defence prepares to publish its refreshed National Shipbuilding Strategy, outlining how the Government will support UK shipyards across the nation to upskill workers, create high-quality jobs, and drives technological development.

The strategy also builds on the UK’s increased support for European defence capability in the face of rising Russian aggression, with UK defence giant Babcock successfully being chosen as Poland’s preferred partner to deliver three new warships based on the UK’s Type 31 design.

During his visit the Prime Minister will meet apprentices and shipbuilding experts to understand how UK Government investment is creating jobs and levelling up communities across the country.

The UK’s historic shipbuilding industry currently supports 42,600 jobs across the UK, from Cornwall to Belfast and Govan, and contributes more than £2.8 billion to the economy.

The Prime Minister said: “Shipbuilding has been in our blood for centuries and I want to ensure it remains at the heart of British industry of generations to come.

“The National Shipbuilding Strategy will transform this important and crucial industry, creating jobs, driving technology development and upskilling the shipbuilders of tomorrow, ensuring we are levelling up across every dock, port and shipyard in the UK.

“This will ensure the UK is rightly seen as a shipbuilding power across the world.”

The NSbS Refresh will also establish a new UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce, led by the Department for Education.

The taskforce will work with industry and training providers across the UK to identify and address skills gaps, ensuring the UK continues to develop and nurture future-focused skills and knowledge to help our shipbuilders deliver the world-class vessels of tomorrow.

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