AUKUS is much more than just a military agreement
3 min read
The news agenda may be focused on the UK’s relationship with the European Union, but today (Monday), MPs and industry will gather in Parliament for a different partnership that may ultimately prove even more important to the security of British citizens and the world.
The AUKUS partnership — the historic pact between the UK, Australia and the United States — is the most significant global security agreement the UK has joined in decades.
The agreement bolsters our collective defence and national security at a time of increased global threats.
But AUKUS is much more than just a military agreement, it is a commitment to the future.
Through this collaboration, we are not only addressing the evolving security challenges of our time but also delivering significant economic growth in each of our nations.
The AUKUS All-Party Parliamentary Group has been working with the UK defence industry to map the chain of businesses, small and large, who are already involved in AUKUS related activities in this country.
Through that work we have been able to make a conservative estimate that a clear majority of UK parliamentary constituencies include at least one company contributing to AUKUS-related capabilities. And the number of companies involved is set to expand rapidly in the coming years.
With this in mind, the APPG is delighted to be hosting the first-ever AUKUS parliamentary reception this evening, bringing together companies providing jobs in every corner of the UK with senior ministers, parliamentarians, and representatives from the Australian and US governments. We will give local MPs the chance to thank workers on the front line of this historic enterprise, and learn more about what they do.
It is clear from the amazing enthusiasm for this event that industry is raring to go, ready to step up in protecting our values across the world while providing cutting-edge engineering and manufacturing jobs and driving innovation and prosperity in areas of great need.
For each nation involved, AUKUS represents a generational industrial opportunity, particularly in defence manufacturing, high-value engineering and the digital technology sector. From Barrow-in-Furness to Bristol, and from Glasgow to the Midlands, companies are already seeing increased demand, investment and recruitment as a direct result of the programme.
These aren’t abstract gains. They translate into well-paid, skilled jobs — many of them long-term and highly specialised — in communities across the country. As work ramps up on SSN-AUKUS and its associated supply chains, the UK’s defence industrial base is being revitalised in a way that delivers both national security and inclusive economic growth.
This is a key plank of what Prime Minister Keir Starmer means when he stresses the wider economic benefits of increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP — the ‘defence dividend’ for our towns and cities.
Indeed, as the Prime Minister made clear recently during his visit to my constituency, where the AUKUS submarine fleet will be built, Barrow in Furness should be the blueprint for how investment in our security is also an investment in the prosperity of our local communities.
I look forward to seeing that impact across the UK but also in the neighbourhoods of Adelaide and North Virginia.
In a time of geopolitical and economic uncertainty, AUKUS stands out as a clear-sighted commitment to security, prosperity and partnership.
It is a platform for economic renewal, a guarantee of strategic alignment and a symbol of Britain’s enduring relevance on the global stage.
And as our investigation into the AUKUS supply chain shows, its benefits are being felt in communities across the UK — constituency by constituency, job by job.
Michelle Scrogham is the Labour MP for Barrow and Furness and Chair of the AUKUS APPG.
