Keep Our Future Afloat

KOFAC has taken a look at what is in Each Party Manifesto on defence policy, the submarine and warship industrial base.... CONSERVATIVE and UNIONIST MANIFESTO PAGE 4 To safeguard our borders and national security, we will: ❱ Boost defence spending to our new NATO standard of 2.5% of GDP by 2030, so we can protect British interests at home and abroad in an increasingly hostile world PAGE 29 COL 1 We will fully deliver our new pledge for the defence of the nation. We will hit 2.5% of GDP on defence in 2030 with our fully funded plan. This is the biggest strengthening of our defence since the Cold War, ensuring we remain the largest defence power in Europe. It will protect our security, cement our UK leadership in NATO and create more jobs in the UK. We will always be steadfast in our support for our Trident nuclear deterrent and have invested in its modernisation, including a nuclear skills package worth up to £763 million by 2030. PAGE 29 COL 2 We have delivered major new investment. The Integrated Review was supported by an additional £24 billion and the Integrated Review Refresh by an additional £5 billion to invest in stockpiles and our nuclear enterprise. …We have created new defence industrial partnerships, including AUKUS to create the world’s most advanced nuclear-powered, conventionally and continually armed, submarines ... PAGE 31 Our strategic defence priorities We will adapt to the lessons from the war in Ukraine which showed us it is vital to be able to replenish equipment quickly and that the acceleration of disruptive technologies is changing the character of warfare. Our strategic priorities will be: PAGE 31 Boosting the UK defence industrial base by giving industry the multi-year certainty it requires to produce the equipment we need when we need it, with at least £10 billion of investment in munitions production, the majority of which will be spent in the UK over the next decade. We will do this in the areas in which we have the most pressing priorities, building on UK expertise. We will build long-term strategic partnerships with our industrial partners and invest in high quality British defence industry jobs across the UK We will deliver a National Defence and Resilience Plan for our security, preparedness and resilience as a nation. PAGE 32 Defence already contributes significantly to our economic prosperity, supporting over 400,000 jobs in the UK. As part of our new investment in defence, we will prioritise growth in UK industries and supporting communities across the United Kingdom. Our highest priority remains protecting the British homeland, Crown dependencies and Overseas Territories PAGE 33 We will maintain our close ties in the Indo-Pacific, following our accession to CPTPP, our AUKUS partnership with Australia ..... SOURCE:https://lnkd.in/e8iY3rb3 John Grainger Simon Fell

KOFAC has taken a look at what is in each Party Manifesto on Defence policy, submarine and warship industrial bases... LABOUR MANIFESTO PAGE 14 NATIONAL SECURITY No policy commitment in pursuit of Labour’s missions matters unless we uphold the first duty of any government: to keep the country safe. Peace and security are hard earned. They require constant vigilance. PAGE 15 COL 1 Our commitment to the UK’s nuclear deterrent is absolute. It is a vital safeguard for the UK and our NATO allies. As the party that founded NATO, we maintain our unshakeable commitment to the alliance, and we will apply a NATO test to major defence programmes to ensure we meet our obligations in full. To ensure the UK is fully prepared to deal with these interconnected threats, Labour will conduct a Strategic Defence Review within our first year in government, and we will set out the path to spending 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence. BRITAIN RECONNECTED PAGE 115 An unshakeable commitment to NATO and our nuclear deterrent PAGE 117 COL 1 Labour will turn the page and reverse this, reinvigorating alliances and forging new partnerships. Our commitment to NATO as the cornerstone of European and global security is unshakeable. We will be confident in our status outside of the EU, but a leading nation in Europe once again, with an improved and ambitious relationship with our European partners.  PAGE 118 COL 1Labour will seek an ambitious new UK-EU security pact to strengthen co-operation on the threats we face. PAGE 119 COL 1Defending the UK’s security Labour’s first duty in government will be to keep our country safe. We will launch a Strategic Defence Review to assess the threats we face and the capabilities needed to address them.  Strengthening Britain’s security requires a long-term partnership with our domestic defence industry. Labour will bring forward a defence industrial strategy aligning our security and economic priorities.  We will ensure a strong defence sector and resilient supply chains, including steel, across the whole of the UK. We will establish long-term partnerships between business and government, promote innovation, and improve resilience. We will prioritise UK businesses for defence investment and will reform procurement to reduce waste. PAGE 120 COL 2Labour is fully committed to AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership with Australia and the United States. We will ensure it delivers its full economic as well as security potential, increasing jobs and investment in communities across the UK  Defending our security also means protecting the British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, including the Falklands and Gibraltar Source https://lnkd.in/e9CjYsHb

KOFAC has taken a look at what each Party manifesto says on defence policy, the submarine and warship industrial base... LIB DEM MANIFESTO PAGE 105, 21 Defence Keeping our country secure should be the first priority of any government. We must always take defence seriously – and work with allies to protect all our freedoms. Liberal Democrats will strengthen our Armed Forces and support the people who work in them, and keep the UK free, safe and secure by: Maintaining the UK’s support for NATO, and accordingly increasing defence spending in every year of the Parliament, with an ambition to spend at least 2.5% of GDP on defence. PAGE 106Maintaining the UK’s nuclear deterrent with four submarines providing continuous at-sea deterrence, while pursuing multilateral global disarmament. Tackle long-standing problems in defence procurement, including by ensuring that procurement is part of a comprehensive industrial strategy to secure a reliable long-term pipeline of equipment procurements, which will strengthen the Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and Strategic Command. Source: https://lnkd.in/eYy8k_Qv

KOFAC has taken a look at what each Party manifesto says on defence policy, the submarine and warship industrial base... REFORM PARTY MANIFESTO PAGE 16 COL 1 DEFENCE Reform UK will ensure our servicemen and women have the resources they need to defend our nation and that they are respected and supported after they leave the services. CRITICAL REFORMS NEEDED IN THE FIRST 100 DAYS: Increase Defence Spending to 2.5% of National GDP by year 3, then 3% within 6 years This will increase the size and capacity of our armed forces and ensure our lead role in NATO. It will also improve equipment, quality of life for services personnel and boost morale in military communities. Regenerate Britain’s Defence Manufacturing and Technology Introduce incentives and tax breaks to boost the UK defence industry. Improve equipment self-sufficiency and manufacture world class products for export. Reform Defence Procurement Launch a Joint Acquisition Corp to ensure world class procurement. The Ministry of Defence must listen to soldiers on the front line and ensure they get the equipment they need. Source: https://lnkd.in/eKQiqvEn

KOFAC has looked at what each political party manifesto says on defence, naval and submarine industrial base matters..... SNP MANIFESTO PAGE 5 COL 2, Scrap Trident and invest the money into conventional defence and public services. PAGE 27 COL 1 SCOTLAND’S PLACE IN THE WORLD We want to see an independent Scotland take its place in the international community; alongside the 193 other United Nations member states, able to join the European Union, with the powers necessary to protect our citizens and prosper in the global economy. We are determined that Scotland plays a positive and progressive role in international affairs through action and leadership. SNP MPs will call on the UK Government to: PAGE 27 COL 2 Scrap Trident and invest the billions spent funding these immoral weapons in public services, like our NHS and schools and adequately funding conventional defence. The SNP has never and will never support the retention or renewal of Trident and will press the UK government to meet their international obligations on nuclear disarmament. Source: https://lnkd.in/eDpr3GZF

KOFAC has looked at what each political party manifesto says on defence, naval and submarine industrial base matters..... GREEN PARTY MANIFESTO What we know There are a lot of wars at the moment that could get bigger. Global Warming is happening faster than we thought. What we will do Green MPs will work for: A more peaceful, fairer and greener world Nuclear weapons What we know Most countries do not have nuclear weapons and they are still safe. What we will do Green MPs will work for: ● the UK to sign the treaty stopping nuclear weapons and get others to stop having them as well ● getting rid of the nuclear weapons we have ● not buying any more ● getting other countries’ nuclear weapons out of our country ● International organisations to do more about peace building ● International organisations saying they would not use nuclear weapons first.  Source https://lnkd.in/eY-_f6v2

Full implementation of "The Nuclear Powered Submarine Pathway" will be a strategically important defence and economic growth task of UK's next government in partnership with USA and Australia.

On Tuesday 11 June the Conservative party issued its manifesto. It says...... "We will always be steadfast in our support for our Trident nuclear deterrent and have invested in its modernisation, including a nuclear skills package worth up to £763m by 2030. We have created new defence industrial partnerships, including AUKUS to create the world’s most advanced nuclear-powered, conventionally and continually armed, submarines. Our strategic priorities will be: Boosting the UK defence industrial baseby giving industry the multi-year certainty it requires to produce the equipment we need when we need it, with at least £10 billion of investment in munitions production, the majority of which will be spent in the UK over the next decade. We will do this in the areas in which we have the most pressing priorities, building on UK expertise. We will build long-term strategic partnerships with our industrial partners and invest in high quality British defence industry jobs across the UK. We will deliver a National Defence and Resilience Plan for our security, preparedness and resilience as a nation. This will be based on the latest assessment of threats and risks, bringing together defence and civilian planning As part of our new investment in defence, we will prioritise growth in UK industries and supporting communities across the United Kingdom."

On Monday 10 June the Liberal Democrat Party issued its manifesto. It contains the following statement... "Liberal Democrats will strengthen our Armed Forces and support the people who work in them, and keep the UK free, safe and secure by: Maintaining the UK’s nuclear deterrent with four submarines providing continuous at-sea deterrence, while pursuing multilateral global disarmament." Maintaining the UK’s support for NATO, and accordingly increasing defence spending in every year of the Parliament, with an ambition to spend at least 2.5% of GDP on defence." Tackle long-standing problems in defence procurement, including by ensuring that procurement is part of a comprehensive industrial strategy to secure a reliable long-term pipeline of equipment procurements, which will strengthen the Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and Strategic Command. Prioritising interoperability with NATO allies and other strategic partners. Continuing to work closely with our Five Eyes partners.

On 12 June 2024 The Green Party offered the prospect of a severe economic impact on Furness when it issued its Manifesto which says it would push to cancel the Dreadnought submarine programme. It makes no mention of the Aukus submarine programme. The Manifesto wording is as follows> "Nuclear weapons and NATO Most of the world’s countries do not possess weapons of mass destruction and are safer as a result. Elected Greens will: Push for the UK to sign the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and following this to immediately begin the process of dismantling our nuclear weapons, cancelling the Trident programme and removing all foreign nuclear weapons from UK soil. Work with international partners to enlarge membership of the TPNW and ensure that all states meet their commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The Green Party recognises that NATO has an important role in ensuring the ability of its member states to respond to threats to their security. We would work within NATO to achieve: A greater focus on global peacebuilding. A commitment to a ‘No First Use’ of nuclear weapons."