The UK will invest further in strengthening its own nuclear deterrent. This was stated in a statement from the office of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

“In a more dangerous and competitive world, Britain's continued nuclear deterrent at sea is more important than ever... That's why we are investing in Barrow-in-Furness, where Britain's submarines are built, and in the jobs and skills of the future in a thriving nuclear industry. industry in the UK,” the department quotes Sunak’s statement.

The office emphasized that London also intends to develop nuclear energy, which provides “consumers with cheaper and cleaner energy.”

  • Rishi Sunak

  • AP

  • © Kirsty Wigglesworth

It is worth noting that in 2023, it was reported that the British Cabinet of Ministers, following the European Union, would declare nuclear energy green in order to attract private investment into this industry. Earlier in 2021, the British Treasury excluded nuclear energy from the so-called green financial strategy, which provides incentives for financing environmentally friendly energy sources.

As noted in Sunak's office, to develop the nuclear industry in Britain, 50% more highly qualified workers will be needed. To solve this problem, London intends to invest at least £763 million ($962 million) in personnel training by 2030, together with private companies. These and other measures are expected to create 40,000 jobs by the end of the decade. In addition, the British government plans to invest more than £200 million ($250 million) in improving the town of Barrow-in-Furness in the north of England, where submarine production facilities are concentrated.

The Labor opposition has already stated that it will fully support these plans of the Sunak Cabinet.

According to Konstantin Blokhin, an employee of the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, despite the protests of the greens and lengthy discussions in the West about the dangers of nuclear energy, today Britain and the EU have no other options for generating electricity.

“Countries dependent on hydrocarbons have no other options but to invest in nuclear energy. The whole world will follow this path. Because the future belongs to nuclear energy. This is especially true for countries that do not have their own resources,” the specialist noted in a commentary to RT.

Nuclear dreadnoughts and broken aircraft carriers

Let us remember that Great Britain is a member of the club of nuclear powers. The main element of London's nuclear deterrent is its submarine fleet. According to the International Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Britain currently has an arsenal of 225 warheads.

In recent years, London has been making efforts to strengthen its nuclear capabilities. Thus, in 2021, under Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the United Kingdom announced the first increase in the limit on the size of its nuclear arsenal in many years. Instead of reducing its nuclear stockpile to 180 warheads by the mid-2020s, as previously planned, London intended to increase its stockpile to 260 warheads.

Sunak's government continues this policy. On 25 March, following the Prime Minister's Office announcement on nuclear investment, the UK Ministry of Defense published its Defense Nuclear Posture Policy Paper, outlining the steps London intends to take to further develop its deterrent capabilities. The document, in particular, notes that the kingdom is “developing a new sovereign British nuclear warhead to replace the old ones, while simultaneously maintaining the existing arsenal.”

London is also said to be "recapitalizing key elements" of its infrastructure to modernize its naval bases and manufacturing processes, "facilitating growth to meet the navy's projected needs and weapons requirements." 

In parallel with this, Britain is trying to develop a nuclear submarine construction program. One of its key elements is the creation of Dreadnought-class submarines, which should replace Vanguard-class submarines. According to the plans, the dreadnoughts, like their predecessors, will be equipped with Trident II D5 intercontinental ballistic missiles. The cost of the program is estimated at £31 billion ($39.2 billion). Upgrades to Trident II D5 missiles are not included in this package, as Britain receives them from the US.

The Ministry of Defense also reported that the program for the construction of Astute class submarines equipped with conventional weapons is in the final stages of implementation. In addition, London is developing promising SSN-AUKUS submarines, which will replace Astute in the future. Submarines of this project will be built both for the kingdom itself and for Australia within the framework of the military bloc AUKUS (Australia, Great Britain, United States) created in 2021.

  • Aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth

  • Gettyimages.ru

  • © Andrew Milligan/PA Images

Despite these measures, the British media regularly raises the topic of the deplorable state of the Royal Navy. In February, the press again turned to this issue after the scandal with the unsuccessful test launch of the Trident II missile from the nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard. The projectile, which was supposed to fly 6 thousand km and hit a target in the central part of the Atlantic between Brazil and West Africa, fell next to the nuclear submarine that launched it. Moreover, at that moment the Minister of Defense Grant Shapps and the head of the Navy, Admiral Ben Key, were on the ship.

The media regularly publish reports about breakdowns of British aircraft carriers. Thus, in February of this year, the Times called the failure of the country's largest aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, a humiliation for Britain. Due to the breakdown, the ship was unable to participate in NATO exercise Steadfast Defender. Instead, the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales went on maneuvers, which in 2022 also broke down on the eve of maneuvers with the United States and Canada.

"Close interaction with the USA"

Since the end of the Cold War, Britain, like the United States, has paid little attention to developing its nuclear capabilities, analysts say. As a result, today the country has to make up for lost time.

“This situation is not only in the UK. France and the United States also need to modernize their nuclear capabilities. After the collapse of the USSR, the West relaxed. They spent money not on modernization, but on military interventions around the world. The USA and Britain acted as a duo in this matter. They had other priorities,” stated Konstantin Blokhin.

  • US Navy submarine launches a Trident II missile

  • globallookpress.com

  • © US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Thomas Gooley

RISI expert Sergei Ermakov shares a similar opinion.

“The UK has serious problems, especially in the nuclear aspect. This is a rather acute problem, given the ambitious plans to expand arsenals that were previously announced by Boris Johnson,” the specialist said in a commentary to RT.

Experts note that the UK is also experiencing difficulties with the development of its naval forces, including the recruitment of recruits. In particular, the Sky News channel reported last year that the number of people wishing to serve in the country's submarine fleet is declining.

“For Great Britain, the status of a maritime power is considered very important. But they have a number of difficulties in this area, including with financing,” says Sergei Ermakov.

According to Konstantin Blokhin, the current state of the British Navy does not allow this country to be considered as an independent force on the world stage.

“The main maritime power in the world today is the United States. Britain will not be able to catch up or overtake America, there is no need to even think about it. Therefore, the only possible strategy for Great Britain in this situation is close cooperation with the United States. They won’t be able to try to play “number one”; there’s no point in that,” the specialist concluded.