29th September 2026
Chancellor John Healey used his first Labour Party conference speech as Chancellor to set out an ambition for what he called a “new age of industrialisation”, with government spending, defence and British manufacturing placed at the centre of his economic strategy.
For Scotland, there was an important announcement.
The Government is to launch a UK-only competition to build three new floating docks for the Royal Navy's submarine service at HM Naval Base Clyde. The facilities are intended to provide maintenance, inspections, upgrades and repairs for Britain's current and future nuclear submarines. The Government says the project will support British shipbuilding and skilled employment for decades.
The Chancellor also announced £115 million towards a new marine research vessel, which is expected to enter service in the early 2030s. The Government says the vessel will support marine research, sustainable fishing and the long-term health of coastal communities.
These announcements were part of a wider argument from Healey that government procurement should be used to support British industry rather than simply buying wherever something is cheapest.
That approach was reinforced by another announcement on Monday. UK Export Finance is introducing a pilot worth up to £5 billion to provide more flexible finance to overseas buyers purchasing British goods and services. The Government says the aim is to help British exporters win business in growing markets and bring jobs and investment back to the UK.
There was also a significant announcement on apprenticeships.
Mayoral areas will receive £100 million to establish a new Local Apprenticeship Service. The idea is to have teams actively connecting young people with businesses offering apprenticeships, including young people who might otherwise never have been offered one. Healey described the teams as operating rather like football scouts looking for new talent.
Rolls-Royce also announced £300 million of investment across its UK manufacturing and engineering facilities, including £43 million at Inchinnan in Glasgow. The company says the investment will strengthen advanced manufacturing and support future aerospace and defence work.
For Scotland, therefore, the speech was about more than political rhetoric. There are actual industrial and procurement decisions attached to it.
But there is a much bigger question.
Can this new industrial strategy reach places that have lost their traditional economic base?
That is particularly relevant to areas such as Caithness.
The Government is clearly thinking about how large national investments can create supply chains, apprenticeships and skilled employment across the country. The challenge for rural areas is making sure that those supply chains do not simply concentrate around the existing industrial centres.
Caithness has considerable experience of technical employment through Dounreay, the energy sector and engineering. It also has potential connections to future energy, environmental science, digital technology and specialist technical services.
The question is whether the new industrial policy can be used to create long-term employment in more remote parts of Britain, rather than simply strengthening the places that already have major industrial concentrations.
That matters because of the discussion taking place about Wick's future.
A town centre cannot be regenerated simply by improving its paving. It needs people, households, jobs and spending.
Healey's speech was therefore interesting from a Caithness perspective because it puts long-term jobs and industrial investment back into the centre of economic policy.
The Chancellor also promised that his first Budget next month would maintain fiscal discipline while providing what he described as “breathing space” and promoting growth and jobs in more places.
The details of the Budget on 28 October will matter much more than the conference speeches.
For Caithness, perhaps the question to watch is not simply how much money the Government spends.
It is where that money creates jobs.
If Britain really is entering a new age of industrialisation, there is an opportunity to ask whether rural Scotland should simply watch from the sidelines or become part of the long-term investment strategy.
The answer could have much more to do with the future of places such as Wick than another town-centre consultation.