SHADOW defence secretary Nia Griffith will visit Barrow on Friday to give an unconditional commitment that 9,000 shipyard jobs will be secure under an incoming Labour government.

“The Labour Party fully supports the Dreadnought submarine programme as part of Britain's continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent,” Ms Griffith said.

“This was approved by Conference and pledged in our manifesto. The shipyard in Barrow is an essential element of our world-leading defence industry. I cannot stress strongly enough that, despite a concerted campaign of disinformation from the Conservative party, the 9,000 people working at BAE Systems have nothing to fear.

“Their jobs will be safe with a Labour government – unlike the Conservative government of the 1990s which made 10,000 people redundant. We fully recognise the importance of the shipyard to the local economy and are committed securing long-term future of this world-class facility and the people who work there.”

Ms Griffith will tour BAE Systems shipyard along with Barrow and Furness general election candidate Chris Altree.

Ms Griffith added: “The UK’s defence industry is a global trailblazer. Our strategic and evidence-led defence policy will secure the future of everyone working across the sector through supporting innovation to maintain both the highly skilled workforce and world-class apprenticeship programme. Furthermore, our commitment to procurement will ensure that we provide valuable jobs throughout the supply chains serving the industry.

“Our Defence Industrial Strategy White Paper will include a National Shipbuilding Strategy, that keeps all Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary shipbuilding contracts in the UK, to secure the future for the industry and its workers for many years to come.

“As a Labour government, our primary duty will be to guarantee the security of people in the UK in what is sadly an increasingly unpredictable world. I’m very much looking forward to my visit to Barrow to meet the people who live and work there, and to reaffirm the importance of the Dreadnought programme to our future defence strategy.”

Mr Altree said: “I am grateful that Nia is taking time out of her busy election schedule to once again visit Barrow and to confirm that Labour will continue to back the continuous at-sea deterrent and to unswervingly support submarine production at BAE Systems.

“I would like to salute the workforce for their expertise which helps to keep our nation safe in an increasingly uncertain world.

“The jobs that will be sustained at the yard will also help to maintain the buoyancy of the Furness economy for decades to come.”