EXCLUSIVE – GMB Scotland Secretary Louise Gilmour has written to Defence Secretary John Healey describing reports that Programme Euston dry dock contracts could be awarded overseas as “national self-harming on a grand scale,” warning that limiting UK workers to installing floating harbours built abroad represents “a paucity of ambition” that is “pitiful.”
The letter, dated 26 May 2026, follows an earlier letter sent on 24 March 2026 to which no response has yet been received. Gilmour said the union must again raise “the gravest concerns at the prospect of this crucial defence infrastructure being built anywhere but the UK.”
Programme Euston is the Royal Navy’s plan to build two floating dry docks to support submarine maintenance at Faslane, aiming to deliver a resilient out of water engineering capability at HM Naval Base Clyde by the early 2030s, with a Programme Business Case due in mid-2026 and procurement decisions to follow. The need is expected to grow as Astute-class boats remain in service, Vanguard submarines continue deterrent patrols, and Dreadnought-class vessels begin to enter the fleet.
GMB argues the manufacture, fabrication and installation of the docks should “create and protect hundreds of well-paid, skilled jobs and apprenticeships from the east coast of Northern Ireland to the east coast of Scotland and in supply chains across our country.” The letter describes the docks as “strategically vital national assets linked directly to the operation and maintenance of the UK’s nuclear submarine capability.”
GMB also drew a direct comparison with the Damen contract earlier this year, when the Dutch company was awarded contracts to build Royal Navy support fleet vessels including tugs for Faslane, with UK yards not invited to tender. “If speculation is correct, the Ministry of Defence seems intent on repeating the same mistakes with Programme Euston,” Gilmour wrote.
Navantia UK’s yard in Methil, Fife is among those making the case for involvement in the programme. As the UK Defence Journal reported in May, GMB Scotland has already written to Healey arguing the yard has the potential to be a pillar of UK engineering capability and a perfect example of how defence contracts could be built on secure domestic supply chains. The yard has grown from 180 workers when operations began in January 2025 to 260 today, with 54 apprentices in training and a further 100 jobs in the pipeline. Richard Baker, the Labour MP for Glenrothes and Mid Fife, said: “It’s amazing to think it’s just two years since Labour ministers working with Navantia had to save this yard, and what’s happened here since then is transformational.”
The letter argues that when defence contracts leave the UK, “the taxpayer loses twice, first through the loss of jobs, wages and economic activity, and again through the long-term erosion of strategic industrial capability.” Gilmour added that at a time of growing geopolitical instability, “it makes no sense to scatter critical infrastructure projects for the UK’s nuclear fleet around the world.”
Gilmour called on the MoD to weigh the social value of sustaining skilled industrial employment against any short-term savings from offshoring, writing that “the value of apprenticeships, community regeneration, secure long-term employment and resilient supply chains must be weighted against any short-term savings gained by offshoring contracts.”
The letter closes with a request for a response from Healey and an offer to discuss the matter further.
Nuclear qualified dry docks are very expensive to get through qualification. Starting from scratch with no experience is expensive and adds to high degree of risk that country can’t afford. The dock should have been upgraded years ago, there’s a very tight time line as it is.
Raises the question of why a country with a large fleet of nuclear boats is “starting from scratch with no experience” and then also why a country with a large fleet of nuclear boats is not seeking to gain the means to maintain their own fleet (especially if the manure were to hit the air circulator).
Because they are only built once every 25-30 years. The US has a bigger fleet and have more nuclear qualified floating drydocks that keeps up the work over decades. Unless you plan to pay people to do nothing for the majority of their working lives it’s going to be starting from scratch.
So let’s say the shit does hit the fan. That drydock is a prime target. Lets say they manage to hit it and take it out of action. Is there anyone around to actually fix it or has this just rendered our entire submarine force expensive bath toys tied up in harbour?
The whole ‘nuclear certified’ thing to me is a bit of a shibboleth. It’s not like the dock is building a nuclear reactor. There should be a set of certified standards for what a drydock needs to look like. Then… build to the standard. That eliminates the whole ‘we’re starting from scratch’ baloney. Write a spec. Have somebody build to the spec. Done.
Trade unions should be barred from ALL defence related work and learn to shut up. Nothing but communists, always were, always will be.
The trade union movement in the UK predates Communism by some degree and is related to workers rights and Collective bargaining within a capitalist system.. it go nothing to do with communism which is all about collective ownership of the means of production…..
It was the Union movement that created the way you work today..
There would be long interminable delays as the yard does not have the qualified/trained personnel in attempting to build Faslane. The need is for speed and quality and that should override all decisions.
I think this is my position as well.
Can they start work quickly? Yes or no?
Do they have the skills now? Yes or no?
Does Defence need to wait? Why should it?
Military need for me should always override other considerations for me.
it’s just a floating dock, we are not exactly re-inventing the wheel here. Yes, you need coded welders, yes in needs to be nuclear certified but it’s not like we are going to be removing reactors or re-fuelling the subs in it.
At most it will be replacing acoustic tiles, shaft and pump jet out for a refurb and anything watertight related overhauled from the outside and everything else will be inside.
Thanks to these goons in power, the steel to build it will be potentially 50% more expensive as we don’t produce it here anymore and it will have to be imported with a potential 50% tariff