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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Thursday that the United Kingdom is in talks with Türkiye, Denmark and Sweden for defense shipbuilding contracts, following last week's landmark £10 billion ($13.5 billion) frigate deal with Norway.
The announcement came as Starmer met with BAE Systems workers at the company's Govan shipyard near Glasgow, which will construct Type 26 frigates for the Royal Norwegian Navy.
The agreement represents the most significant defense industry contract ever signed between the U.K. and Norway.
"Every country across Europe has increased its defense spending, and they're looking for countries to collaborate with on the defense building that they need to do," Starmer told reporters, according to the reports.
"So Norway is first up. We're talking to the Danish, we're talking to Sweden, we're talking to Türkiye and other countries," he added.
The Type 26 frigates, designed to detect, track, and attack submarines, will begin delivery to Norway in 2030.
Norway, which shares a border with Russia, had evaluated France, Germany, and the United States as potential strategic partners before selecting Britain for the project.
The contract will support approximately 4,000 jobs in the U.K., with more than half located at BAE's Glasgow shipyards, according to the British government.
"I hope this is only the first in what will be a series of contracts," Starmer said on Thursday during his shipyard visit.
Starmer's Labour government has made rebuilding Britain's defense industrial base a strategic priority, with plans to increase military spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product by 2035 to meet NATO commitments.
The prime minister emphasized that the Norway agreement marks just the beginning of Britain's defense export ambitions.
"This contract is only the first step for the U.K. We hope many new collaborations will follow," Starmer stated at the Glasgow facility.
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