I welcome this Defence Investment Plan (DIP) which has prioritised our nuclear deterrent and submarine programmes.
This government has once again reinforced its commitment to Barrow and Furness with more than £63bn investment in our submarine programme over the next four years, delivering Dreadnought and up to 12 SSN-AUKUS boats along with the upgrades to infrastructure needed to get us to a drumbeat of a boat every 18 months. Most importantly, this is a triple lock commitment to the delivery of these boats and their future replacements. Something that was sadly lacking under previous governments.
This plan increases defence spending by 27% over this Parliament and recognises the imminent and growing threats we face as a nation. I welcome the Secretary of State’s commitment to setting a clear path to spending 3% of GDP on defence and 3.5% by 2035 and hope that he will go further and faster in achieving that.
You can read more about the DIP at The Defence Investment Plan – GOV.UK