Barrow’s MP is spearheading a government group to discuss the opportunities and challenges of the AUKUS deal.
Simon Fell launched an All Party Parliamentary Group this week – meeting fellow ministers and peers.
As first chair of the meeting, he met with figures from across the political divide to discuss the challenges the region will face in delivering a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.
Known as the AUKUS pact, the UK, US and Australia announced the ‘landmark’ partnership to boost their defences and share nuclear submarine secrets in September 2021. The move came at a time of growing concerns over Chinese activities in the Pacific Ocean.
AUKUS will initially focus on helping Australia procure a multibillion-pound fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. Barrow will play a unique role in delivering the programme.
The three nations will deliver a trilaterally developed submarine, based on the UK’s next generation design, incorporating technology from all three nations. Australia and the UK will operate SSN-AUKUS, as their submarines of the future, with construction expected to begin this decade.
Mr Fell said: “The APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Groups)APPGs is a route for MPs and peers from across the political spectrum to get meet and learn more about why AUKUS matters. Here in Furness it seems obvious – we understand shipbuilding and have a clear understanding of the direct consequences of a multi-generational programme like AUKUS.
“The Government’s leadership on this will create thousands of jobs, lead to vast investment in our community and secure the local economy for decades. But not every constituency is like Barrow, so I will be working with MPs and Peers from across the UK to show them why this will matter to them – for national security, but also for jobs, skills and education.
“We will also be holding the government to account and learning from our colleagues in the USA and Australia to better understand the challenges, and opportunities, from their perspectives.”
Mr Fell will be working with Ministers, civil servants, the MOD, Navy, and the governments and representatives of the US and Australia in the coming
Source: The Mail
