5
Accepted
The UK Prime Minister must take a more prominent role in driving the delivery of...
Recommendation
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 will provide impetus and direction for Whitehall; without this leadership we are not confident that the cross-government coordination, prioritisation and pace required to deliver AUKUS will be achieved. (Recommendation, Paragraph 28)
Government Response Summary
The government asserts that the Prime Minister is already taking a prominent role in AUKUS, citing existing commitments, investments in the submarine industrial base, and the appointment of a Special Representative as evidence of his leadership.
Government Response
Accepted
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK is all in on delivering against our AUKUS commitments. The Prime Minister regards AUKUS as a partnership which is fundamental to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic, to the UK’s NATO-first approach and to Trans-Atlantic burden sharing. The Government will continue to identify opportunities for the Prime Minister to visibly demonstrate his unwavering commitment to the AUKUS partnership. In 2025, the Prime Minister appointed Sir Stephen Lovegrove as his Special Representative on AUKUS to drive forward his level of ambition and delivery under AUKUS. The UK continues to demonstrate our commitment to delivery, including through the government’s landmark £6 billion investment in the UK Submarine Industrial Base to create the capacity and resilience to move to continuous submarine production and deliver at an 18-month production drumbeat; and the successful deployment of HMS Anson to Western Australia for completion of a Submarine Maintenance Period (SMP) to begin a series of rotational deployments. The Prime Minister will continue to drive UK delivery through a whole-of-government effort.
Addressee Bodies
Ministry of Defence
Timeline
Recommendation age
0.3 yrs
Report published
28 Apr 2026