Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been invited to Barrow and said he was looking forward to visiting when his diary allowed.
MP for Barrow and Furness, Simon Fell, invited Mr Sunak to Barrow during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday to see how submarine construction in the area was going to uplift Furness for the future.
Mr Fell said: “The AUKUS programme is not just a national endeavour designed to keep our nation safe, but also an international partnership that speaks about our ambitious work across the globe to pursue security and contain threats.
“So can I personally thank the Prime Minister for his engagement with the Team Barrow initiative, bringing together senior civil servants, my council, BAE and myself to drive this programme forward, making sure we can deliver these boats to time and to budget.
“That means improving the local area considerably and investing in it too. With that in mind, could I invite the Prime Minister to Barrow to meet not just the fantastic people building the boats of the future, but also to see how this programme is going to uplift Furness for the future.”
Mr Sunak told Parliament: “At a time of great instability around the world, with the war in Ukraine and the Red Sea, my honourable friend is absolutely right that AUKUS is a game changing defence and security partnership that will keep us safe and create thousands of jobs, both in the UK shipyards and supply chain, building on the investment in places like Barrow, Derby and elsewhere.
“He’s a fantastic champion of what this industry means in his area and the Team Barrow partnership is a crucial component of ensuring AUKUS is a success.
“That’s why the Chancellor provided millions of pounds of funding for a delivery board for Barrow. We recently discussed this at cabinet, and I look forward to visiting him and his community when my diary allows to see the progress for myself.”
In 2023 it was announced that the AUKUS submarines would be built by BAE Systems as part of a £3.95 billion contract.
Team Barrow is a collection of senior civil servants and local community leaders with the aim of ensuring Barrow benefits from the major defence projects taking place in the town.
On Facebook, Mr Fell said: “The delivery of those amazing boats in Barrow is contingent on our ability to succeed – for that we need more people, more homes, better transport, improved healthcare, investment in schools, a dedicated focus on getting the right skills to people in our community, and so much more. It is a programme that will benefit not just Barrow, but the whole of the local area too.
“Team Barrow is the initiative to get us to that point, and I’m very glad that the PM is keeping it at the top of his agenda, even discussing it at the most recent cabinet.”
