Burnham says nuclear sub investment will protect UK and boost jobs

Burnham says nuclear sub investment will protect UK and boost jobsImage source, Royal NavyByKate Whannel, Politics reporter and Damian Grammaticas, Political correspondentPublished1 minute agoOngoing investment in nuclear submarines will "protect Britain for decades to come" but also support 47,000 jobs and apprenticeships, Andy Burnham has saidSpeaking ahead of a visit to Barrow-in-Furness, where four new Dreadnought-class submarines are being built, the prime minister said: "Security is not only about what we build, it is about who builds it, and who benefits from it."The project to replace existing nuclear submarines will receive £8.4bn to support progress towards getting the new vessels ready for service.Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge welcomed progress on the submarine programme but accused Burnham of "failing to commit" to fully funding defence. Burnham has said he wants to honour the UK's commitments on defence spending - including meeting a Nato target of spending 3.5% of national income by 2035.Both he and his new Chancellor, John Healey, face the tricky task of finding the extra money needed to fulfil the pledge. Defence must cut waste and maximise value for money, says StreetingPublished22 JulyUK complacent about war threat, warns BAE bossPublished6 days agoThe Dreadnought-class submarines will replace the UK's four Vanguard-class vessels that have been in operation since 1992, carrying Trident missiles to provide a nuclear deterrent.Those Vanguard submarines are due to be retired in the 2030s, with the Dreadnoughts entering service at the same time.The project has taken 20 years to get to this stage and was first announced in 2006 by the then Labour Prime Minister, Tony Blair. A decade later, in 2016, MPs formally approved building the new submarines.Thursday's announcement of £8.4bn marks the start of what has been called the fourth phase of the project.The spending was already planned,...