So interesting. When the likes of Margaret Thatcher was running this country, it was the accepted ideology that we didn't need to make anything anymore, we could leave that to second rate countries: meanwhile our economy settled on London and the South East, essentially a service economy that pimped the financial sector. Of course, a few deluded idiots still tried to make things, but they were clearly misguided. So, here we are, after Tony Blair as another (this time Labour) idiot, we have another Conservative goverment that (belatedly) recognises that actually exporting a finished product may be a good idea; but, alas, we don't have any manufacturing to speak of that is British owned (our Japanese car factories lead the world btw). So yes, let's leave it to the German's, the Koreans, the Finn's, to build ships - clearly the British cannot.
And, please note, this is another factor that is bringing down the USA to its knees: the loss of the manufacturing segment that gives people jobs and dignity.
I would disagree with that under Thatcher there was still some promotion of British Industry one of the reasons the army got such substandard kit like SA80. Major naval projects were built in the UK and more tonnage was ordered under the conservitives then Labour who were more than happy to allow Yards in many areas of the country but promoted those in their own back yards.