A “derelict” town in northern England is set to roar back to life thanks to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria is home to Britain’s most important defence manufacturing site, Devonshire Dock.
Run by BAE Systems, the complex employs one in three people in the town, where skilled workers build the submarines which patrol Britain’s seas as a nuclear deterrent. Business slowed as a result of the Cold War ending, but the yard is poised to boom once more as the UK rearms.
Britain is set to boost its military spending amid fears of Russian aggression and doubts about the future of US protection for Europe under the Trump administration. The Government also wants Britain’s defence industry to help turbocharge the country’s sluggish economic growth.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledged in her Spring Statement to make the UK a “defence industrial superpower” as she announced spending a minimum of 10% of the Ministry of Defence’s equipment budget on novel technologies including drones and AI enabled technology.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer vowed to increase UK defence spending to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027 to “protect” Brits and boost business.
Government figures show in 2023-24, defence spending by the UK sustained more than 430,000 jobs across the country, equivalent to one in every 60.
As BAE’s workforce is set to grow, Barrow’s population is set to rise from 60,000 to 90,000, with a need for more homes, schools and larger hospital facilities, according to the Telegraph.
The Government, Westmorland and Furness Council and BAE Systems have joined forces to regenerate the town under the banner Team Barrow.
More than £200million is to be invested in the town as BAE Systems increases its 14,500-strong workforce to build the Astute, Dreadnought and SSN-AUKUS submarines.
Former Cabinet Secretary Dr Simon Case chairs the board tasked with delivering the regeneration. He has described Barrow as “critical” to Britain’s national security.
He said in February when his appointment was announced: “Barrow is a fantastic town and the Government’s long-term commitment to the UK’s submarine programme means it has an exciting future, but it’s not without its challenges.
“Our task is to address these, turn ambition into reality and help transform Barrow into a place where people choose to live, work and thrive.”
Dr Case told the Telegraph Barrow is “the living, breathing example” of what happened to some industrial towns after previous governments cut defence spending following the fall of the Berlin Wall.
In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, workers at Devonshire Dock built aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates and submarines, but since the early 2000s the work has dwindled.
Despite recent economic growth and high wage levels, Barrow has the largest concentration of worklessness, low quality housing and people with poor skills and health in Cumbria, according to the county’s Local Enterprise Partnership.
It says Barrow also has Cumbria’s single largest concentration of areas and people experiencing multiple deprivation.
But the town’s fortunes look set to change. Dr Case said the town is a “strategic national asset”, although it hasn’t always been seen that way.
He said Team Barrow will create an environment to deliver the “happy, skilled” workforce needed to support the defence nuclear enterprise, adding: “Thanks to Mr Putin and Mr Xi, the business case makes itself.”