Successor project secures more funds

Deal will sustain 1,400 jobs on the programme

BAE Systems has been awarded additional funding of £257 million to cover the final phase of work to design a successor to the Royal Navy's Vanguard-class submarines.

The company said the contract will sustain 1,400 jobs on a programme that already involves more than 240 suppliers.

Previous contracts awarded in 2012 were valued at more than £600 million for the new class of submarines, which will carry the UK's nuclear deterrent.

Tony Johns, managing director at BAE Systems' Submarines, said: "The Successor programme is the largest and most complex project we have ever faced. This funding will now allow us to mature the design over the next 12 months to enable us to start construction in 2016."

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: "The UK has been committed to a continuous at-sea deterrent for more than 45 years. This is because it is the responsibility of the British Government to protect its citizens and provide this vital line of defence. It is therefore crucial that we continue to invest in the Successor programme to be ready for a final decision on renewal next year.

"It is thanks to our long-term economic plan that we are able to invest in this latest wave of design funding, which will help to secure the jobs of hundreds of people working across the MoD's three main industrial partners working on the Successor programme. This underlines how important this work is to the British economy as well as the future security of the UK."