UK Chancellor John Healey will claim Britain is entering "a new age of industrialisation" with a £6bn plan to build three floating docks at the Royal Navy's Clyde submarine base in Scotland. Speaking at the Labour conference in Liverpool, Healey argues backing British shipyards boosts national security and drives growth. This investment is part of a wider "multi-decade, multibillion-pound transformation" of the site, initially set out by Lord Vernon Coaker, estimated to cost £15bn over ten years. The plan ends speculation the UK must rely on foreign shipyards for the infrastructure. Defence Minister Louise Haigh also urged companies to prioritize British jobs and apprenticeships when bidding for government contracts, stating procurement rules will require commitment to high-quality domestic employment. Haigh pledged to bring over a thousand outsourced Whitehall cleaning and catering jobs back in-house within 18 months.

Healey's address follows pressure from Louise Haigh for greater UK public spending on British firms. The Chancellor insists a cautious approach ahead of the October 28 Budget, though he faces a Labour audience demanding growth. The Royal Navy has struggled with creaking maritime infrastructure, causing maintenance backlogs and fleet availability issues. The investment aims to secure resilience in key industries for the modern world, linking the site's industrial past with future capabilities.