Representatives from Barrow shipyard have been lobbying Labour MPs to persuade them to support renewal of the UK's nuclear deterrent.

They joined other trade union officials at a meeting at Westminster hosted  by Furness MP John Woodcock.

He invited delegates from the GMB and Unite to speak about the impact on jobs if the planned renewal of the UK’s nuclear submarines does not go ahead.

Tens of thousands of jobs are dependent on the Trident successor programme - many of which are Barrow-based.

There are 88 Labour constituencies that contain supply chain companies - all of whom were invited to the meeting.

The Parliamentary Defence Committee, which Mr Woodcock chairs, has been running evidence sessions to inform the debate about Trident and will be publishing the findings before a vote is held later this year.

Mr Woodcock said: “There is a cast-iron majority in the House of Commons in favour of renewal of our nuclear submarine fleet, but it is always important to make sure other MPs are aware of the arguments and stop the debate being dominated by those who oppose our nuclear deterrent.

"The argument about jobs is a vital part of this debate and there is nobody better placed to make this case to Labour MPs than our trade unions who have first-hand knowledge of the way our defence industry supports skilled manufacturing jobs in working class communities.”