A new phase of contracts worth £8.4bn, part of the already agreed Dreadnought programme, will help support 18,000 extra jobs in nuclear defence by 2030 and 22,000 additional apprentices by 2035, Downing Street said. The prime minister voted to build the new submarines in 2016, when the Labour party split over the issue and its then leader, Jeremy Corbyn, voted against. The new Dreadnought submarines are intended to replace the ageing Vanguard-class submarines, one of which is always at sea carrying Britain’s nuclear deterrent. The largest share of the latest phase of work in the Dreadnought programme is being awarded to BAE Systems, the owner of the Barrow shipyard. The work is part of the overall £31bn Dreadnought programme, which is so complex it includes a £10bn contingency to cover overspends.