US reneging on Aukus submarine deal ‘would cost UK billions'
Britain would have to spend billions more pounds building its own submarines if the Aukus deal collapses, sources have said.
President Trump's administration has thrown into doubt the future of the pact, struck between Britain, the US and Australia to build nuclear-powered attack submarines. The Labour government announced last week that it planned to build up to 12 of the submarines, which will come into service in the late 2030s, as part of the deal agreed in 2021.
However, two sources close to Aukus said UK costs would rise by 60 per cent if the pact crumbled and Australia pulled out of the deal too. Producing a dozen submarines could be unrealistic given financial pressures, they warned. 'You can see a route to the point where the UK ends up with half of what it wants at a higher price,' said one of the sources.
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Reuters
34 minutes ago
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