The Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Defence have spoken to support the trilateral partnership between the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States.
Sir Keir Starmer and John Healey confirmed their commitment to the AUKUS programme.
Earlier Mr Healey told the Commons he was committed to allowing more small businesses to benefit from an increase in spending on defence.
“For too long, small businesses have felt left out of defence, but no more,” Mr Healey said.
“We are setting new targets to ensure that smaller firms benefit from that increase in defence spending. We are setting up a new support centre to guide small businesses on access to defence and, for the first time, we are making British-based businesses a priority for British taxpayers’ defence investment.”
The AUKUS All Party Parliamentary Group was hosted by Lord Walney and Barrow and Furness MP Michelle Scrogham in the House of Lords and included guests from businesses in Cumbria.
Jayne Moorby, head of marketing at Oxley Developments, said: “It was an excellent event highlighting the strength and unity of the trilateral partnership between the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States.
“It was reassuring to hear the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Defence John Healey reaffirm their commitment to AUKUS and to Barrow, including ensuring small businesses benefit from the opportunities this will bring.
“It was a privilege to see the new US Ambassador make his first official address and to hear from the Australian High Commissioner, all speakers covered the critical importance of the AUKUS programme for global stability.”
