Stories

Sun, 27 Sep 2026

Sun, 27 Sep 2026 Healey to promise 'new age of industrialisation' for UK in conference speech

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

* He will announce plans to boost Britain's shipbuilding industry with new orders for Royal Navy floating docks and a maritime research vessel.
* Three new floating docks at HM Royal Naval Base Clyde will be built in the UK, rather than being put out to international tender.
* A new marine research vessel is also set to be commissioned as part of plans for a "new era of reindustrialization".
* £115m will be allocated for the ship, which is expected to come into service in the early 2030s.
* The Chancellor's speech comes under pressure from Labour's trade union backers to do more to tackle the cost of living.
* Healey will also announce plans to revive a training scheme run by trade unions to help workers gain new skills and adapt to technological changes.