Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support he is providing to his Australian counterpart on Australia’s acquisition of nuclear submarines as a member of AUKUS.

The Secretary of State exchanges regularly with his Australian and US opposites on a wide range of defence issues, including AUKUS. Australia asked for our help in acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine. We are meeting the request of a close partner, with whom we have a long history of co-operation, including on submarines. We will use the 18-month scoping period to establish exactly what the best way is to meet Australia's capability requirement. We will not pre-judge the outcome of the scoping period. Throughout this process, strengthening the non-proliferation regime will be our highest priority. We are undertaking every step in this process in a way that reflects our longstanding leadership in global non-proliferation and steadfast support for the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). We are pursuing rigorous verification standards, in partnership and consultation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).