PRIME minister Rishi Sunak has been urged to make Barrow a royal town.

Barrow's MP Simon Fell has written to the PM urging him to declare the town Royal Barrow in Furness.

The MP urged Mr Sunak to grant royal town status saying Barrow's shipbuilding heritage had 'shaped the prosperity of the United Kingdom' and 'enabled the Industrial Revolution'

His call comes as the town celebrates 150th years of shipbuilding.

In the letter, Mr Fell said: "Barrow-in-Furness has long played a pivotal role in our nation's industrial and maritime history.

"Its contributions to shipbuilding and defence have shaped the prosperity of the United Kingdom, enabled the Industrial Revolution, and guaranteed our, and our allies’ security. Recently, Barrow celebrated 150 years of naval shipbuilding.

"Every military submarine produced for the United Kingdom was crafted in Barrow.

"That legacy has helped defend our nation and our allies, and the enterprise to deliver those boats is rightly described as a National Endeavour."

Looking forward he described how royal town status could boost Barrow, saying: "Now Furness faces into its next chapter, producing the Dreadnought class boats that will act as our ultimate deterrent, and providing the backbone of the AUKUS partnership, working together with our allies in Australia and the United States to deliver the next generation of attack submarines.

"The Government you lead has rightly acknowledged the scale of this challenge, forming Team Barrow, led by the Cabinet Secretary, designed to ensure that Furness has the support from Government to deliver these projects, uplifting the town and wider community, and providing the tools to attract and grow the highly skilled workforce that will be required for this new, decades-long, International Endeavour.

"Getting to that point will require investment and prioritisation for Barrow.

"But it will also require changing perceptions of this fantastic but isolated community and achieving the social licence to deliver on these projects."

He continued: "It is for this reason, acknowledging Barrow-in-Furness’ remarkable role in the history of our nation and our national defence, and the significant part it will play in our future defence too, that I am writing to request that you support the granting of Royal Town status on it.

"Granting Royal Town status to Barrow-in-Furness would not only be a symbolic recognition of our town's rich history, but also a catalyst for economic and cultural rejuvenation."

Other royal towns include Windsor, Tunbridge Wells and Sutton Coldfield.