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Shipbuilding: North East

Asked by Matt VickersConservativeMinistry of DefenceTabled Answered 7 September 2025UIN 71342

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential strategic merits of increasing shipbuilding capacity in the north of England.

Answered by Luke Pollard

This Government has an ambitious shipbuilding pipeline with major naval programmes in progress at a number of UK shipyards, recent export success of the Type 26 frigate to Norway and a number of forthcoming civil shipbuilding programmes.

The National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) is leading the work for Government to explore further opportunities, working with the whole of industry including in the North of England. As part of their work, the NSO assesses current and future capacity needs while recognising the input required from the commercial part of the sector across the United Kingdom.

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