The Prime Minister will tout a new fund backed by £20million in public money to support growth in Barrow, home to Britain’s Astute class submarines and Dreadnought programme.

He will commit to a further £180million over the next decade, which Downing Street says would provide grants to local organisations and improvements to transport and health outcomes in the area.

Industry leaders including BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, EDF and Babcock are partnering with the Government to invest around £763million in skills, jobs and education.

Number 10 hopes the money will create more than 8,000 career opportunities to help the sector fill 40,000 new roles by the end of the decade.

Ahead of the visit to Barrow, the Prime Minister said: “Safeguarding the future of our nuclear deterrent and nuclear energy industry is a critical national endeavour.

“In a more dangerous and contested world, the UK’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent is more vital than ever. And nuclear delivers cheaper, cleaner home-grown energy for consumers.

“That’s why we are investing in Barrow, the home of UK submarines, and in the jobs and skills of the future in the thriving British nuclear industry.

“Today we usher in the next generation of our nuclear enterprise, which will keep us safe, keep our energy secure, and keep our bills down for good.”

MP for Barrow and Furness, Simon Fell, had invited Mr Sunak to Barrow during Prime Minister’s Questions in February.

'Barrow is at the heart of the UK’s submarine enterprise'

The Barrow Transformation Fund will be managed by the Barrow Delivery Board in collaboration with local leaders, who will allocate funding to areas of greatest need, Downing Street said.

The initial £20million from the Treasury will go towards projects including the completion of construction on the A595 Grizebeck Bypass and “supporting people towards work”, according to Number 10.

Charles Woodburn, BAE Systems chief executive, said: “Barrow is at the heart of the UK’s submarine enterprise and as the custodian of our submarine design and build capability, we’re incredibly proud of the role we play in the Astute, Dreadnought and now SSN-AUKUS programmes.”

Rolls-Royce Submarines president Steve Carlier said the announcement showed the UK is “going to go even further in its mission to meet the growing demand for nuclear expertise”.

As part of his visit, the Prime Minister is expected to meet apprentices working on the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines.

'More money needed for defence'

The Defence Nuclear Enterprise Command Paper, which the Government says will set out for the first time the full breadth of activity aimed at sustaining and modernising Britain’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent, will also be laid in Parliament on Monday.

The announcement follows weeks of criticism over the Government’s resistance to calls for an increase in defence spending amid concerns about the global risk posed by countries like Russia and China.

In a visible sign of unease within the Tory ranks, Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan and security minister Tom Tugendhat earlier this month said a “much greater pace” of investment was needed.

Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said he wants a “bigger budget” and called for military spending to be increased to 3 per cent of GDP.

There was no new money for defence in the spring Budget, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt saying “our spending will rise to 2.5 per cent (of GDP) as soon as economic conditions allow”, but not detailing how that would happen.

That decision has drawn criticism from some quarters, including former service chiefs who have argued that funding should be based on the threat to national security rather than the financial climate.

Mr Sunak has said the Government has already announced the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War and “recently topped up with billions of pounds to strengthen our nuclear enterprise and rebuild stockpiles”.

The Defence Nuclear Enterprise Command Paper will be laid in Parliament on Monday afternoon by Mr Shapps, Number 10 said.

Labour to pledge 'GB Energy'

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will travel to north Wales to renew the party’s commitment to a publicly-owned clean energy company that it says could “get (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s boot off our throat”.

On his first joint visit with new Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething, he will pledge to “turbocharge jobs and growth” for Wales with GB Energy, a plan to boost homegrown green power including wind farms and carbon capture.