£10 billion worth of warships for the Norwegian navy will soon be built in Glasgow in a historic deal, the Ministry of Defence has announced.
Type 26 frigates will be constructed at the BAE Systems yard in the Govan area, allowing a fleet of at least 13 anti-submarine ships from the UK and Norway – at least five of which will be Norwegian – to operate jointly.
The deal comes as Europe hopes to deal with increased Russian activity in northern Europe.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer learned of the decision during a call with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store on Saturday night.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said the decision marks an ‘important and historic moment for European security’.
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It will also bring an estimated 2,000 jobs at BAE, with a further 2,000 in the supply chain within the next decade.
Starmer said: ‘This £10 billion deal is what our Plan for Change is about – creating jobs, driving growth and protecting national security for working people.’
He said the success is a testament to thousands of people in the UK working to increase national security for the UK, Norwegian allies and NATO.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the deal ‘deepens our strategic partnership’ with Norway.
He added: ‘Our navies will work as one, leading the way in NATO, with this deal putting more world-class warships in the North Atlantic to hunt Russian submarines, protect our critical infrastructure, and keep both our nations secure.’
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said the decision shows the ‘tremendous success’ of Scotland’s shipbuilding industry.
In June, an extra £6 billion investment for military capabilities was announced, which will fund drones, ships and 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons.
Around £1.5 billion of it will go to building at least six new factories to build weapons, producing things like explosives and pyrotechnics.
They will operate on an ‘always on’ basis, meaning production can be easily scaled up if needed, the government said.
It comes as Russia and Ukraine continue to bitterly wage war, with some of the worst attacks seen so far, even as peace is constantly claimed to be within reach.
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