AUKUS treaty deepens UK-Australia defence partnership to generate £20 billion in trade and create 7,000 new jobs

• Signing of new UK-Australia AUKUS treaty protects our seas, supports over 21,000 UK jobs and underpins up to £20 billion exports potential.  
• Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary in Australia alongside UK's Carrier Strike Group - demonstrating government's commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. 
• New treaty unlocks greater economic cooperation and delivers on the Government's Plan for Change.  

A new 50 year AUKUS treaty will underpin the UK and Australian submarine programmes, support tens of thousands of jobs in the UK and Australia, enhance both nations' industrial capacity, and deliver the submarines that keep the UK and our allies safe.   

The deal demonstrates the Government's commitment to deliver both security and prosperity, safeguarding jobs across the UK and boosting our defence industry, with new submarine exports amounting to hundreds of millions of pounds a year.  

Expected to be worth up to £20 billion to the UK in exports over the next 25 years, this decades-long programme will create over 7,000 new jobs in UK shipyards and across the supply chain, building on the billions of pounds already invested in Barrow, Derby and beyond.  

There will be over 21,000 people working on the conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered AUKUS submarine programme (known as SSN-AUKUS) in the UK at its peak, contributing to opportunities and economic growth in local communities across the UK.  

Defence Secretary, John Healey, said:    

“AUKUS is one of Britain's most important defence partnerships, strengthening global security while driving growth at home. 

“This historic Treaty confirms our AUKUS commitment for the next half century. Through the Treaty, we are supporting high-skilled, well-paid jobs for tens of thousands of people in both the UK and Australia, delivering on our Plan for Change today and for the generations to come. There are people not yet born who will benefit from the jobs secured through this defence deal.

“Our deep defence relationship with Australia – from our work together to support Ukraine, share vital intelligence, and develop innovative technology – makes us secure at home and strong abroad.”

Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said:    

 “The UK-Australia relationship is like no other, and in our increasingly volatile and dangerous world, our anchoring friendship has real impact in the protection of global peace and prosperity.  

“Our new bilateral AUKUS treaty is an embodiment of that - safeguarding a free and open Indo Pacific whilst catalysing growth for both our countries. 

“This is how our government delivers the Plan for Change – protecting our national security and stability whilst generating jobs for Brits.”  

This is the latest milestone reached under the AUKUS partnership – our most strategically significant new defence partnership in a generation.  

The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary will travel to Australia as the Carrier Strike Group and more than 3,000 British military personnel take part in the largest military exercise Australia has ever hosted. Their visit follows the exercise's success where the AUKUS nations worked with Japan on advancing how we use robotics and autonomous systems in our defence systems.   

Both ministers will meet their counterparts at the annual "Australia-UK Ministerial", known as AUKMIN, to drive forward collaboration across the board – generating further trade and investment to our £23 billion per year annual trade relationship with Australia.  

Travelling onto Melbourne, the Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary will meet with businesses at the forefront of AUKUS – delivering the defence industrial strength needed to protect British, Australian and American interests.   

The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary will visit Darwin to see our commitment to the Indo-Pacific first hand as the Carrier Strike Group docks in the Northern Territory.   

This deployment – one of the UK's largest this century – sends a clear message that the UK alongside our partners stands ready to protect the Indo-Pacific's vital trade routes and will deter those who undermine global security.  

On HMS Prince of Wales, the flagship of the group, the Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary will meet the service personnel who have participated in Exercise Talisman Sabre, one of the largest military exercises in the world this year. Bringing together over 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations, this exercise strengthens and tests how key partners can work together to safeguard global trade routes and maintain regional stability.  

The Carrier Strike Group deployment this year reinforces the Government's Plan for Change by strengthening the international partnerships that underpin economic growth and national security, keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad. It takes place against the backdrop of the Government's landmark commitment to increase defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027.   

This historic investment underpins the Government's mission-led approach to securing Britain's future, providing the economic stability necessary for growth whilst ensuring the UK maintains cutting-edge capabilities such as to meet emerging global threats.