The Prime Minister has said he hopes a £10 billion deal to build Norwegian warships in Glasgow will be the first of many.
Speaking to BAE workers in Govan, he signalled other countries could follow Norway and place orders for frigates in the UK.
The Ministry of Defence announced the deal last weekend, and it is the biggest of its kind for both the UK and Norway.
It will see Type 26 frigates constructed at the BAE Systems yard in Govan and will allow a fleet of at least 13 anti-submarine ships from the UK and Norway – at least five of which will be Norwegian – to operate jointly in northern Europe as they look to deal with increased Russian activity.
In his visit to the shipyard on Thursday, Sir Keir said it was the reputation of the workers that won the contract, fending off competition from France, Germany and the US.
“We won that because of you,” he said. “So there’s no point thanking me because I could not have landed this order if Norway didn’t have confidence in what you’re doing.
“What I mean by confidence in what you’re doing is the quality of what you do here but also the speed at which you could turn this around.
“That means the 15 years’ worth of shipbuilding here has been secured by you on your reputation, and I really want you to take that in.”
The Prime Minister said countries will now be looking at the UK for defence deals.
“Every country across Europe has increased their defence spending and they’re looking for countries to collaborate with on the defence building that they need to do,” he said.
“So Norway is first up. We’re talking to the Danish, we’re talking to Sweden, we’re talking to Turkey and other countries.
“So I hope this is only the first in what will be a series of contracts.
“That is down to you. It’s down to Scotland and Glasgow and what you and those before you’ve been doing for generations. I’m really pleased with this.”
Defence Secretary John Healey was in Norway to sign the deal, for a minimum of five of the Type 26 frigates.
Mr Healey said: “This deal will support thousands of UK jobs for many years to come and boosts our strategic partnership with Norway.
“Our close bonds are built on a shared geography and history, and this deal will see our navies work as one, creating a combined fleet to defend Nato’s northern flank and strengthen our deterrence against Russian aggression.”
In addition to signing the deal, Mr Healey and his Norwegian counterpart, Tore O Sandvik, discussed further joint operations as part of what is described as a “deepened” strategic partnership between the two nations.
