British PM Embarks on Nuclear Build-Up in Military Overhaul

Plan to Invest $26b in Nuclear Programme and Build 12 Subs as Part of Aukus Partnership

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has outlined a sweeping overhaul of the military, including a costly expansion of the country's nuclear deterrent, but declined to specify when Britain would meet a key target of spending 3 per cent of national output on defence.

Britain will move to a position of "war-fighting readiness" in response to growing threats and greater instability in the world, Mr Starmer said, as his government announced plans to invest £15 billion (S$26 billion) in its nuclear warhead programme and to build as many as 12 submarines as part of the Aukus partnership it operates with the US and Australia.

"If you want to deter conflict, then the best way to do that is to prepare for conflict," Mr Starmer told BBC Radio on June 2, ahead of the publication of the government's strategic defence review scheduled for later in the day.

"The world has changed: we need to be ready," he said.