UK to build 12 new attack submarines

UK to build 12 new attack submarines as review to be announced

What Happened

The UK will build up to 12 new conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarines, as part of a sweeping Strategic Defence Review to be announced on Monday by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. The submarines will begin replacing the current fleet from the late 2030s and are designed to safeguard Britain and its NATO allies for decades to come.

The review, led by former Labour defence secretary Lord Robertson, sets out 62 recommendations, all of which the government is expected to adopt. The aim is to shift the British armed forces towards “warfighting readiness” amid rising threats, particularly from Russia.

Sir Keir will also confirm a £15bn investment in the UK’s nuclear warhead programme, alongside further commitments to boost cyber capabilities, long-range weapons production, and military infrastructure.

What Next

Alongside the new submarines, the government’s review includes:

• £1.5bn for six new factories to maintain continuous munitions production
  
• Plans to build 7,000 long-range weapons such as missiles and drones
  
• A new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command to strengthen digital warfare capacity
  
• £1.5bn for repairing military housing by 2029
  
• £1bn in tech upgrades to speed up targeting intelligence delivery
  

The new submarines will support 30,000 jobs, 30,000 apprenticeships and 14,000 graduate roles by the 2030s, according to the Ministry of Defence. These next-generation vessels—known as SSN-AUKUS—are being developed jointly with Australia under a defence pact agreed in 2023 by the previous Conservative government.

The announcement also reaffirms Labour’s pledge to deliver the Dreadnought class of nuclear-armed submarines, which will replace the ageing Vanguard fleet in the early 2030s. Both projects fall under the MoD’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise, which now consumes 20% of the defence budget.

Despite the ambitious plans, Defence Secretary John Healey has ruled out growing the Army before the next general election. His priority is reversing the decline in troop numbers, with a target to return to 73,000 full-time soldiers in the next Parliament.