PEOPLE in Furness have welcomed news that 3,000 skilled jobs will be safeguarded thanks to a new multi-million pound deal. A £1.2 billion contract has been awarded to BAE Systems in Barrow to build a new Royal Navy attack submarine which will be known as Audacious. It will be the fourth of the seven Astute Class vessels constructed at the town's shipyard, while a further £1.5 million has been pledged to the remaining three subs. Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock was one of those to welcome the announcement. He said: “This confirms the continuance of the programme that was started by the last Labour government and it is a reassuring confidence boost for Barrow and the surrounding communities. “A thriving shipyard has to be the keystone of the Furness economy and that has been cemented by this welcome news today.” Defence secretary Philip Hammond said the contracts would provide greater certainty for Britain's armed forces. "This is an extremely good news announcement for the 5,000 or so people at Barrow whose jobs depend on the submarine programme and the thousands more across the UK in what is a very high-tech end of our engineering in this country."