Key facts
- Barrow-in-Furness is crucial for the AUKUS security pact, responsible for building nuclear-powered submarines.
- The town faces significant underinvestment in housing, skills, and public services.
- BAE Systems needs to expand its workforce significantly by 2027.
- Regeneration of Barrow is considered vital for national security and the AUKUS promise.
- Government funding for Barrow's transformation is considered insufficient by some.
Barrow-in-Furness, a town dominated by the BAE Systems shipyard, is central to the AUKUS security pact, which aims to counter Chinese aggression in the Pacific by linking the U.S., U.K., and Australia. The town is tasked with building the next generation of nuclear-powered submarines for the pact, a feat that requires an unprecedented increase in production pace.
However, significant challenges threaten this goal. Decades of underinvestment have left Barrow with critical shortages in housing, skills, and public services. The local college, which supplies apprentices to the shipyard, was recently rated as inadequate by Ofsted. Observers, including members of the British parliament, anticipate delays in submarine construction, which could strain Britain's national security and undermine the core promise of AUKUS.
Simon Case, former U.K. Cabinet Secretary and now leading Team Barrow, a partnership focused on the town's transformation, stated that Barrow's future is synonymous with AUKUS. He estimates that £1 billion is required for regeneration, far exceeding the government's £200 million commitment over 10 years. This underinvestment has led to social issues in Barrow, including high unemployment, poor health outcomes, and low life satisfaction, making it difficult to attract and retain the skilled workforce needed for the ambitious submarine production schedule.
Despite these challenges, some remain optimistic. Australia's Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy, who has visited Barrow twice, expressed optimism, and Trevor Taylor of the RUSI defense think tank described the UK as the least risky part of the AUKUS bargain, noting that Dreadnought and Astute class submarines appear to be on track. The key question, Taylor noted, is whether the workforce possesses the necessary experience for the highly technical SSN-AUKUS program, which will require bringing in specialized engineers and physicists.
BAE Systems needs to increase its workforce from 13,500 to 16,500 by the end of 2027, a substantial undertaking in a town of 67,000. This requires not only job creation but also the development of infrastructure to support a growing population, including thousands of new homes. The success of Barrow's regeneration is seen as a test case for Britain's post-Empire, post-EU power revival.