Lib Dems to expand UK shipbuilding, with six new Royal Navy frigates to face down Russia, as 60% say Government aren’t doing enough

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

• The Liberal Democrats have today outlined their plans to expand UK shipbuilding with four new British shipyards and six frigates delivered by the mid-2030s, to counter the threat of Russia
• This comes as polling commissioned by the Party has revealed 60% of people don’t think the Government is doing enough to protect Britain from Russian attacks on Britain's critical infrastructure 
• The Party are warning the Chancellor that he must invest in the defence sector in the upcoming budget, to boost national security and provide the clear, long-term demand signal and predictable pipeline the defence sector needs to invest and deliver national rearmament

The Liberal Democrats have today outlined their plans to expand Britain’s shipbuilding capacity and the size of the Royal Navy to meet the threat of Russia. This includes the construction of four new shipyards and six additional frigates. It coincides with new polling, commissioned by the party, which has revealed that 60% of people say that the Government isn’t doing enough to protect Britain’s critical infrastructure - including underwater cables - from Russian attacks.

Concerns about Russian activity in British waters have been rising in recent months, with the Navy now spending 25% more time monitoring Russian vessels around UK waters: a 30% increase on the previous two years.

In June, a Russian warship fired warning shots at a yacht off the Isle of Wight, and in May, a Russian attack submarine and two spy submarines were found to be loitering over critical undersea cables in the North Atlantic for a month. Russia has also continued to escort sanctions-busting vessels as they pass through the Channel - helping to deliver oil profits for Putin’s war machine in Ukraine.

The Defence Select Committee warned this week that “dramatic progress” is needed in building up UK armed forces and ships to defend against Russian attacks in the High North. While the Government’s 2025 Strategic Defence Review (SDR) set a compelling vision for how to deliver the new ‘Hybrid Navy’ and deliver deterrence at sea, Keir Starmer’s much-delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP) - which was meant to put flesh on the bones of that vision - failed to deliver the resources needed to rebuild Britain’s Royal Navy.

Funding four new shipyards and building six additional warships - including three additional Type 31 frigates and three additional Type 26 frigates - by the end of the next Parliament (mid-2030s), would provide the clear, long-term demand signal and predictable pipeline the defence sector needs to invest and deliver national rearmament.

The Party argues that the Chancellor should use the upcoming budget as an opportunity to heed Liberal Democrat calls for Defence Bonds, end this era of defence stagnation and provide the funding to boost Britain’s shipbuilding industry. This would replace decades of stop-start procurement with a steady drumbeat of orders, retain critical engineering skills, expand domestic shipyard capacity, and secure Britain’s sovereign industrial base.

Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesperson, James MacCleary MP, said:

“After years of the Conservative Party underinvesting in our military, we are now dangerously exposed and woefully unprepared. Russia is actively, and brazenly, testing the limits of our naval defence capabilities - but Labour has dragged its feet on investing properly in our defence.

“We cannot afford to sit on our hands while Putin’s aggression intensifies and our national security weakens. We need a plan which gives confidence to British industry and allows our manufacturers to get on with delivering for Britain’s long-term security.

“By investing now in six new warships and by expanding our ship-building capacity with four new British shipyards, we can regenerate our fleet, protect our vital underwater infrastructure, and ensure Britain has the defence capabilities we need to stand up to the Kremlin.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

As first reported by Sky News here. 

Proposal and funding:

• Allocate £370 million raised from defence bonds to fund four new shipyards. Last year, the incredible Janet Harvey Hall facility for developing two frigates side-by-side was completed on the Clyde, near Glasgow. The facility cost £185 million, and was part of a wider £300 million programme of modernisation at the site. We’d use defence bonds to build two more, at a cost of £370 million.
• Allocate £1.2 billion raised from defence bonds to build three additional Type 31s by the early 2030s. The cost of developing one Type 31 is c.£400 million (2025/26 prices). Building an additional three hulls will come in at £1.2 billion. 
• Allocate £2.8 billion raised from defence bonds to build three additional Type 26s by the early 2030s. The cost for developing one Type 26 is c.£950 million (2025/26 prices). Building an additional three hulls will come in at £2.85 billion. 
• Raise the Digital Services Tax from 2% to 10%, and use part of the funds raised to cover in-service costs of crew staffing and maintenance. We outlined this as part of our package for raising defence spending to 2.5% GDP.

In-service cost assumptions

There are currently no estimates for the in-service costs for a Type 31, even though we’ve pushed the Government for answers through parliamentary questions. That’s also the case for the Type 26.

Drawing on 2018 cost estimates for the Type 23 frigate and Type 45 destroyer, we extrapolate an assumed cost of £20 million per year running cost for both a Type 31 and a Type 26 (in 2034/35 terms). For six ships, that totals £120 million in 2034/35.

Liberal Democrat proposals for Defence Bonds detailed here.

Incidents of Russian aggression in British waters detailed here.

The Royal Navy says it is spending 25% more time monitoring Russian vessels around UK waters, as detailed here. 

Defence Select Committee comments detailed here.

Polling:

Methodology: Savanta interviewed 2,234 UK adults online between 29^th May to 1^st June 2026. Data were weighted to be representative of the UK by age, sex, region, and social grade. 

Q1. The Head of the UK's Intelligence and Security agency has warned that the UK is facing "relentless" attacks from Russia on its critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure includes things like underwater cables, telecoms grids and sensitive IT data such as that held by the NHS. 

To what extent, if at all, do you think the UK Government is doing enough to protect the country’s critical infrastructure from attacks by Russia? Base: All respondents (2,234)

• Six in ten (60%) UK adults say that the UK Government is not doing enough to protect critical infrastructure from Russian attacks, with one in five (21%) saying they are definitely not doing enough. Only one in four (26%) say the government is doing enough (14% don’t know).
• Concern is highest among older age groups – two thirds (67%) of those 55+ say the government is not doing enough, compared to half (51%) of 18–34s.
• 2024 Liberal Democrat voters align closely with the national picture, with over half (55%) saying not enough is being done.