The UK’s nuclear warhead manufacturer AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment) has rebranded in an attempt to attract more workers. However, it has refused to disclose to the Canary how much public money it spent on the accompanying public relations (PR) exercise.

AWE faces increased demand for its services following the Conservative Party government’s decision, under the Integrated Review 2021, to increase the UK’s stockpile of nuclear warheads from 225 to 260.

That decision came during the context of increasing hostility from Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the poisoning of the Skripals in 2018, but before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In addition, the US and Russia had withdrawn from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) in 2019.