UK to spend billions more on nuclear subs

UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is preparing to announce a multibillion-pound cash injection into Britain’s nuclear deterrence programme, as part of a new defence funding package in the wake of the Ukraine war.

The prime minister is due to unveil up to five billion pounds ($5.988 billion) of additional cash for defence over the next two years on a visit to America next week, according to The Times.

He will also publish a “refresh” of the government’s defence and security integrated review that will set out the UK’s approach to strategic threats from both Russia and China.

The Times understands that a significant portion of the new money will be earmarked for the Dreadnought programme that will replace Britain’s ageing submarine fleet, which is armed with nuclear weapons.

The programme was launched in 2015 and it was predicted at the time that it would cost 31 billion pounds ($37.127 billion) and enter service in the 2030s. In the latest update to parliament, the Ministry of Defence said that 12.5 billion pounds ($14.970 billion) of this budget had so far been spent on the concept, assessment and early delivery phases of the programme and it remained “within the overall budget”.