Labour says it will not place orders for new nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Navy until 2028, according to remarks by defence minister Wes Streeting. The announcement follows Labour’s stated plan to replace the Royal Navy’s Astute-class nuclear attack submarines.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously said the programme would deliver “up to 12” new vessels to replace the Astute class. The outlets report that Streeting’s comments effectively push the ordering timeline to later in the decade. The coverage focuses on the gap between the replacement ambition and the expected time for procurement orders, framing it as a delay rather than an immediate start.
Across the reporting, the main point is consistent: Labour links the submarine replacement effort to a schedule in which orders are not expected until 2028, while the total number of replacement boats remains described as up to 12. The sources do not indicate any competing alternative timeline in this set of articles.
