This inquiry will examine the AUKUS partnership, a trilateral security agreement between Australia, the US and the UK which was announced in 2021. AUKUS will see the US and UK support Australia in acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine fleet alongside a deepening of co-operation between the three countries on other advanced military technologies. The Committee’s inquiry …
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8th Report - AUKUS | HC 841 | 28 Apr 2026 | 33 | Pending |
Our inquiry has underlined the importance of the AUKUS partnership, but has also laid bare the scale of the endeavour that will be required to successfully deliver it. For the UK, AUKUS presents challenges but also great opportunities. Meeting those challenges and seizing those opportunities will require sustained political will …
Almost five years on from the announcement of the AUKUS partnership, the world is a very different place. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and shifting US priorities have placed increasing pressure on Western nations’ defence and security apparatus. The alliances that have underpinned global security for decades can no longer …
It is deeply disappointing that more than a year after Sir Stephen Lovegrove completed his review of AUKUS, the Government’s commitment to issue a public version of his findings has not been fulfilled. This reflects poorly on the Government and is damaging to stakeholder and public confidence. It is also …
We urge the Government to issue a public version of Sir Stephen Lovegrove’s report as soon as possible. (Recommendation, Paragraph 22)
The UK Prime Minister must take a more prominent role in driving the delivery of AUKUS. Many of the challenges we identify in this report arise from a lack of funding or prioritisation within Government rather than any underlying structural or technical issues. More visible Prime Ministerial endorsement for AUKUS …
As we approach five years since AUKUS was launched, following changes of Government and with domestic reviews of the programme recently completed in all three partner nations, a natural opportunity arises for national leaders to convene and make a powerful joint statement underlining their continued commitment to the programme, sending …
The appointment of a Prime Minister’s Special Representative on AUKUS, initially for a year, has been a positive step welcomed by stakeholders in industry and across the trilateral. We recommend that the role be made permanent, providing consistency for stakeholders and sending an important signal across Whitehall and to our …
The Government should advocate for the US and Australia to follow the UK in appointing their own Special Representative (or an equivalent role). Consideration should also be given to establishing a joint secretariat to support them. (Recommendation, Paragraph 39)
The remit of the Prime Minister’s Special Representative is broad, with both domestic and international focus across a wide range of capabilities. If its functions are to be exercised effectively, it must be adequately supported by the Civil Service. Alongside the extension of the role, the staffing of the office …
The need to engage more openly with the public in a national conversation on defence and security issues has been a recurring feature of the political discourse in recent years and one on which we have previously pressed the Government for action. A programme of AUKUS’ length and cost will …
Within an overarching dialogue about the role of defence in society, AUKUS offers an opportunity to demonstrate the more tangible benefits that a thriving defence industry can bring to local economies across the UK. Members of Parliament can play a key role in this messaging at constituency level, but our …
Whilst the groundwork has been laid for growing the nuclear workforce, the scale of the recruitment needed to deliver AUKUS calls for more creative solutions. These should harness existing strengths, such as the world- leading skills academies run by UK defence primes, and use the unique recruitment opportunity presented by …
We are deeply concerned by the Government’s failure to recognise the impact of barriers to workforce movement across the trilateral. The ensuing inconvenience and cost may currently be manageable—although they are having a stifling effect on collaboration—but it is clear to us that existing arrangements will not be sustainable as …
The Government must urgently remove barriers to workforce mobility across the AUKUS partners, beginning with security clearances. We recommend that the MOD, working with trilateral partners and in consultation with industry, set out within six months a clear plan to enable mutual recognition or continuity of security clearances for AUKUS-related …
The development of new SSN facilities in Adelaide and Perth could pose a risk to workforce retention at the UK’s equivalent facilities in Barrow-in- Furness and Plymouth. The MOD must closely monitor workforce flow as the design and build of SSN-AUKUS progresses, and should ensure that efforts to streamline workforce …
For the UK, delivering SSN-AUKUS will be a lengthy and complex undertaking requiring a sustained financial commitment from Government across several electoral cycles. It is deeply concerning that there are signs that the investment pipeline that underpins that commitment has already faltered. This cannot be allowed to happen again: the …
The Government must demonstrate that the industrial uplift required to deliver SSN AUKUS is being funded and delivered at pace. We recommend that an annual assessment of planned versus delivered investment in submarine industrial capacity be conducted by the Prime Minister’s Special Representative, to be submitted to the Prime Minister …
As Australia works against tight timescales to develop the infrastructure and workforce required to build its sovereign nuclear-powered submarine capability, it will need to take decisions which could have implications for the UK’s own build schedule at Barrow. The UK Government must co- ordinate closely with the Australian Government as …
There was a clear consensus in our evidence that the regeneration of the town of Barrow-in-Furness is essential to the delivery of AUKUS. The formation of Team Barrow and the investment committed to date to address 51 this is welcome, but it does not go far enough. The scale of …
With the successful delivery of SSN-AUKUS dependent on attracting and retaining a skilled workforce at BAE Systems’ site in Barrow, the Government must do more to ensure that the ambition laid out by Team Barrow is met. This will require additional funding from central Government to provide the investment in …
Although the planned regeneration is in its early stages, Team Barrow must ensure that visible change is seen on the ground as soon as possible to reassure the local community that their role in the national endeavour has been recognised, and that meaningful change is underway. (Recommendation, Paragraph 93) Pillar …
Delivering on the UK’s commitment to increase port visits and later rotate an Astute-class submarine out of Australia will be essential to maintaining credibility within AUKUS. We were glad to receive the Minister’s assurance that the UK remained on track to meet this obligation, and we welcomed the subsequent arrival …
With submarine availability critically low, and against a backdrop of deepening concern about the readiness of the Royal Navy, the Government must deliver infrastructure improvements at HMNB Devonport and HMNB Clyde at pace to relieve pressure on the fleet. Failure to do so will risk the UK’s ability to meet …
Workforce growth at HMNB Devonport will be key to delivering the infrastructure required to improve submarine availability and prepare for SSN-AUKUS. Team Plymouth will play a central role in creating the local conditions to attract and maintain this larger workforce and will also be key to delivering the local defence …
The UK must throw its full support behind Australia’s development of new infrastructure in Perth, particularly the new Defence Precinct at Henderson. Close working between the UK and Australia at government and industry level will enable the UK to share its experience in constructing and operating its own nuclear sustainment …
The lifting of export control restrictions under AUKUS is a significant achievement for the partnership. It has the potential to bring immense benefits across UK defence. However, that potential will only be realised if Government removes barriers to participation and raises awareness across industry, encouraging businesses—including those which may not …
The Government should seek to identify those organisations which could benefit from membership of the Authorised User Community—especially SMEs—and proactively promote it to them, offering guidance and support where required. The new Defence Office for Small Business Growth should play a key role in this effort. The MOD must also …
With its aim of harnessing trilateral collaboration on advanced technologies, Pillar 2 has the potential to be transformative, but progress to date has been disappointing and inadequate. It now faces an uphill battle to restore credibility. In the short term, the Government must press for swift agreement within the trilateral …
There is an obvious alignment between the workstreams covered under Pillar 2 and the Defence Industrial Strategy’s themes of innovation, resilience and prosperity; and it offers clear opportunities for defence-related growth. However, the UK’s approach to Pillar 2 has so far been disjointed and has failed to fully exploit those …
The MOD must work closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and the Department for Education, to drive a truly joined-up, whole-of-government approach to Pillar 2. The Government must also do more to involve SMEs directly in Pillar 2 activities, harnessing their agility and innovation to enhance capability …
Expanding Pillar 2 to include additional partners offers potential opportunities, but it will add a further layer of complexity and negotiation to what is already proving to be a difficult task. Whilst remaining positive about a future expansion of Pillar 2, we reluctantly conclude that the focus for now must …
A programme of AUKUS’ scale and scope will not succeed if it is perceived within Whitehall as one of many defence programmes competing for scarce resources. Only strong and visible political leadership from the very top of Government can counter a drift into bureaucratic obscurity and ensure that AUKUS receives …
As we approach five years since the partnership came into being, with changes of Government in each partner nation and domestic reviews completed, now is the time to seize the opportunity AUKUS presents and demonstrate the UK’s firm commitment to making it a success. The recommendations in this report identify …
| Date | Witnesses | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Dec 2025 | Air Marshal Tim Jones · Ministry of Defence, Luke Pollard MP · Ministry of Defence, Vice Admiral Sir Chris Gardner KBE · Submarine Delivery Agency | View ↗ |
| 26 Nov 2025 | Angela Jones · Westmorland and Furness Council, Nona Buckley-Irvine · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Peter Anstiss · Team Barrow, The Rt Hon The Lord Case · Team Barrow | View ↗ |
| 19 Nov 2025 | Sir Stephen Lovegrove - Prime Minister's Special Representative on AUKUS | View ↗ |
| 21 Oct 2025 | Andrew Kinniburgh · Make UK Defence, Harry Holt · Babcock International Group, Matthew Evans · techUK, Samira Braund · ADS, Steve Carlier · Rolls Royce Submarines Limited, Steve Timms · BAE Systems Submarines | View ↗ |
| 9 Sep 2025 | Dr Sidharth Kaushal · Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Sophia Gaston · Centre for Statecraft and National Security, King's College London | View ↗ |