New factories and deadly long-range weapons being built for Royal Navy, Army and RAF to "deter adversaries"

The government has pledged £1.5bn towards six new facilities as part of plans for an “always on” weapons pipeline. This is part of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), which is due to be published imminently.

Plans are in place to support the procurement of up to 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons. Defence secretary John Healey said: “The hard-fought lessons from (Russian president Vladimir) Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine show a military is only as strong as the industry that stands behind them.

“We are strengthening the UK’s industrial base to better deter our adversaries and make the UK secure at home and strong abroad. We will embrace the strategic defence review, making defence an engine for economic growth and boosting skilled jobs in every nation and region as part of our Government’s plan for change.”

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said new funding will see UK munitions spend hit £6 billion during this Parliament, supporting 1,800 jobs throughout the country. Chancellor Rachel Reeves outlined plans to turn the UK into a “defence industrial superpower” by prioritising British businesses for contracts and investing in infrastructure.

She said: “A strong economy needs a strong national defence, and investing in weaponry and munitions and backing nearly 2,000 jobs across Britain in doing so is proof the two go hand-in-hand. We are delivering both security for working people in an uncertain world and good jobs, putting more money in people’s pockets as part of our plan for change.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer launched the SDR last year. The aim was to determine the most crucial areas for the government to spend money, for military experts to decide on the most vital capabilities the armed forces need, and future technologies which should be explored further.

In addition to its call for an “always on” munitions production capacity, the Ministry of Defence will be urged to lay the industrial foundations for an uplift in munitions stockpiles to meet the demand of “high-tempo” warfare.

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge criticised the factories investment as “too slow”. As reported by Yahoo, he said: “It’s a bit rich of Labour to talk about ‘always on’ munitions production when procurement has been largely switched off for the past year. Rachel Reeves has deliberately used the SDR to put an effective freeze on new orders for the kit our military needs.

“Of course, we welcome investment in new munitions factories, but we don’t know when they will be ready, only that these orders should have been placed months ago. Ultimately, we need to see greater ambition for the pace and scale of rearmament our armed forces require, given the threats we face and the need to replace inventory gifted to Ukraine. That means 3 per cent of GDP by the end of this parliament, and Labour properly prioritising defence spending – instead of seeking to outspend Reform on welfare.”