Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a significant £8.4 billion investment in the Dreadnought-class nuclear submarine program, which he says will "protect Britain for decades to come" while supporting 47,000 jobs and apprenticeships. Speaking ahead of a visit to Barrow-in-Furness, where the submarines are being built, Burnham stressed that security is about both what is built and who benefits from it. The funding marks the fourth phase of a project first announced in 2006 by then-Prime Minister Tony Blair, with MPs formally approving construction in 2016. The Dreadnought-class vessels will replace the UK's four Vanguard-class submarines, which have been in service since 1992 and are due for retirement in the 2030s.