Aukus - Let's cheer ourselves up with some good news!10 Mar 2023 08:47
The Times today;
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rishi-sunak-to-spend-billions-more-on-nuclear-subs-2n20njsnx
Rishi Sunak is preparing to announce a multibillion-pound cash injection into Britain’s nuclear deterrence programme, as part of a new defence funding package in the wake of the Ukraine war.
The prime minister is due to unveil up to £5 billion of additional cash for defence over the next two years on a visit to America next week.
He will also publish a “refresh” of the government’s defence and security integrated review that will set out the UK’s approach to strategic threats from both Russia and China.
The Times understands that a significant portion of the new money will be earmarked for the Dreadnought programme that will replace Britain’s ageing submarine fleet, which is armed with nuclear weapons.
The programme was launched in 2015 and it was predicted at the time that it would cost £31 billion and enter service in the 2030s. In the latest update to parliament, the Ministry of Defence said that £12.5 billion of this budget had so far been spent on the concept, assessment and early delivery phases of the programme and it remained “within the overall budget”.
However, a senior Whitehall source said there was a widespread acknowledgment that the project needed more money, otherwise funding would have to be diverted from other parts of the MoD budget.
“This is an extraordinarily complex and critical project,” they said. “And there is an acknowledgment that the existing budget will not be enough to deliver it, given the inflationary pressures we’re seeing. This extra funding will allow us to progress on schedule without having to raid other parts of the budget.”
The overall MoD settlement is less than that demanded by Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, who was asking for an £11 billion rise over the next two years to keep pace with inflation.
Wallace also wanted a commitment that spending would increase in real terms over the next spending review period beyond 2025. The announcement on Monday is unlikely to go that far, although Sunak would reiterate his pledge to provide the military “with the resources it needs to keep us safe”.
Sunak will use next week’s trip to San Diego, where he will meet President Biden and Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, to confirm the extra money for defence before Jeremy Hunt’s budget on Wednesday.
The leaders will also announce a new agreement under which Australia will buy a number of UK-made Astute class nuclear-powered submarines under the so-called Aukus pact.
Sunak has told ministers to expect a positive outcome from the meeting following 18 months of negotiations. Australia had been expected to buy the US-designed Virginia class submarine but under the deal at least some of the order will go to the UK. The deal will help safeguard the long-term future of the shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness.
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