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Written question asked by Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative) on Tuesday, 19 May 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 21 May 2026. It was answered by Luke Pollard (Labour) on Wednesday, 27 May 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Australia: Nuclear Submarines

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the establishment of new SSN-AUKUS facilities in Australia on levels of workforce retention at conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines (SSN) facilities in (a) Barrow-in-Furness and (b) Plymouth.

Answer

AUKUS Pillar 1 cannot be realised without the essential personnel and expertise needed to design, build, operate, maintain and decommission SSNs, but it also offers an unprecedented opportunity to integrate and grow the submarine building workforce of all three partners. It will create thousands of jobs in all three countries, and we are confident that the UK’s world-leading facilities will continue to attract the very best personnel, with the Team Barrow and Team Plymouth initiatives further enhancing this.

Some movement is inevitable and reflects the benefits of global mobility. Our AUKUS partners respect the joint nature of this programme and the fact that through it we will develop more resilient skills bases in each country.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
2964
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Australia Nuclear submarines AUKUS
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk