New submarine docks and research ship announced

The Government has announced plans for three new floating docks for the Royal Navy's submarines and a new marine research ship, as ministers set out what they call a new era of industrial renewal at the start of Labour's conference.

The announcements were trailed on Sunday ahead of the Chancellor John Healey's first conference speech in the role, in which he is expected to promise a "new age of industrialisation" for the country.

Docks for the submarine fleet

Under a project known as Programme Euston, three new floating docks will be built for HM Naval Base Clyde at Faslane in Scotland, home of the UK's submarine fleet. The contract will be decided through a UK-only competition, meaning only British firms can bid.

The docks were first planned in 2023 and are expected to be in use in the early 2030s. They form part of a wider programme, worth around 15 billion pounds, to upgrade the Royal Navy's shipyards and bases.

A new research vessel

The Government will also spend 115 million pounds on a new marine research vessel, which is expected to enter service in the early 2030s. Louise Haigh, the First Secretary of State, said on Sunday that the ship would be commissioned as part of the plans for reindustrialisation.

A personal theme for the Chancellor

Mr Healey, who was Defence Secretary under Sir Keir Starmer before moving to the Treasury, represents a South Yorkshire constituency. He is expected to point to the site of the former Orgreave coking works, now the Advanced Manufacturing Park near Rotherham, as an example of how old industrial areas can find new work.

"Our coal mines are not coming back. But this is how Britain's industrial past is being remade now for the modern world," he is expected to say.

The opposition's response

The shadow chancellor, Andrew Griffith, described the announcements as "reheated" and questioned how they would be paid for, arguing that the defence budget still had "a £4.7 billion black hole".

Why it matters for manufacturing cities

Defence and marine contracts reach far beyond the shipyards themselves. Manufacturers across the country, including engineering firms in and around Birmingham, supply parts, systems and services into defence programmes, and a commitment to buying British can create work well away from the coast.