The chancellor will unveil policies aimed at boosting British shipbuilding in his speech to Labour's annual conference on Monday.

Published38 minutes ago

John Healey will promise "a new age of industrialisation" for the UK, when he delivers his first Labour conference speech as chancellor on Monday

Healey will tell delegates "our coal mines are not coming back", but that Labour will remake Britain's industrial past "for the modern age" by backing advanced manufacturing

He will also announce plans to boost Britain's shipbuilding industry, with new orders for Royal Navy floating docks and a maritime research vessel

With just a month to go until his first Budget, the chancellor is under pressure to cut spending or raise taxes to tackle the ballooning cost of government borrowing

But he is not expected to reveal any details about his Budget plans in his speech at Labour's annual conference in Liverpool

Instead, he will attempt to set out a positive vision for the future of British industry, based around what he will call a "new confidence in Britain"

The former defence secretary will announce that three new floating docks at HM Royal Naval Base Clyde, at Faslane, will be built in the UK, rather than put out to international tender

Plans for the new docks were first set out in 2023 and are expected to upgrade Faslane's facilities for the next generation of British submarines