Submarine announcement could be "damp squib" without funding ambition - Lib Dems

EMBARGO: 22:30 Sunday 1 June 

Responding to the Government's announcement that the UK will build up to 12 new attack submarines, Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesperson Helen Maguire said:
 
"This signals absolutely the right intent about the need to bolster the UK’s defences in the face of Putin’s imperialism and Trump’s unreliability.

"But this must come with a concrete commitment and detail on full funding. Labour’s mere ‘ambition’ rather than commitment to reach 3% of GDP on defence leaves serious questions about whether the money for these projects will actually be forthcoming. The 2034 timeline suggests a worrying lack of urgency from the Government.

"Unless Labour commits to holding cross-party talks on how to reach 3% much more rapidly than the mid-2030s, this announcement risks becoming a damp squib."

ENDS