INDEPENDENT research has shown the positive impact Babcock had on the Scottish economy in the past year with Rosyth Dockyard playing a key role.

The Oxford Economics paper said the jobs created and supported, the investment made and the taxes paid by the international defence company between March 2021 and March 2022 contributed, directly and indirectly, £370 million to gross domestic product north of the border and £3.3 billion for the UK as a whole.

David Lockwood, chief executive of Babcock, said: “The extent of our positive impact on the UK is evident in the amount we directly contribute to Britain’s defence capability and the value this adds throughout our extended supply chain.

"We are helping create a safe and secure world, and this starts at home with investment in the UK.

"Across the country, our most important investment is in our highly-skilled people, and the findings of the Oxford Economics report show the significant impact we are making; our people support thousands of companies and jobs throughout the UK.

"We are proud to be supporting the UK Government’s levelling up agenda, helping to spread prosperity across areas of the UK that have been worst-affected by unemployment and the cost-of-living crisis.”

The report said Babcock supported 6,300 jobs in Scotland with more than 3,500 employed directly and a further 2,800 jobs supported across the supply chain.

As well as 1,700 workers at Rosyth, there are 1,400 at the Clyde naval base.

In the past year, more than £50m was paid to suppliers and £150m to the company's workers.

Rosyth is the main site in Scotland and work is under way on the £1.25 billion contract to build five Type 31 frigates for the Royal Navy, while they also have a deal to deliver two warships to Poland.

Add in the £30m deal to service the two huge aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, that were assembled there and, after navigating some choppy waters and turbulent years, there's plenty of activity at the yard.

In October, the company began recruiting, with 250 new jobs for production support operatives, and, earlier this month, new recruits included 32 apprentices and graduates.

And the Rosyth site is also home to the world's first testing centre for tidal turbine blades, the £4.6m FastBlade facility, and the Arrol Gibb Innovation Campus, a centre of excellence aiming to transform large-scale manufacturing through innovation and skills development.

UK Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, said: “This report serves as a timely reminder of the contribution the defence industry makes to UK prosperity.

"Our national security depends on our ability to produce and support critical elements and capabilities onshore but we also have a responsibility to ensure this investment unleashes the immense social value potential of the sector.

"I am pleased Babcock are taking a thorough approach to understanding their wider economic value.”