Sir Keir Starmer said he is confident Donald Trump will back a nuclear submarine pact with the UK and Australia after America launched a review of the multibillion-pound deal.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the G7 summit in Canada, the Prime Minister said he did not have “any doubt” that the agreement would progress.
The trilateral Aukus partnership, believed to be aimed at countering China, involves building a new fleet of nuclear-powered attack submarines and co-operating in other areas of defence.
Australia would also get its first subs from the US under the deal.
Asked what his message to the US president would be on the importance of the pact, Sir Keir, who is due to meet Mr Trump in Kananaskis next week, said: “Aukus is really important. We’re fully committed to it.”
Sir Keir added it was “not unusual for an incoming government to do a review of a project like that”, and that Labour had done similar.
“We, of course, looked into the issue when we came into government.. But I’m 100% committed to it. I’m really clear about that.”
Asked if he was confident Mr Trump would back it, he said: “Yeah, I think so. It’s a really important project. So I don’t have any doubt that this will progress.”
Confirming the review on Thursday, the White House said it wanted to make sure the pact was “aligned with the president’s America First agenda.”
