"I can announce that we have signed contracts worth 4 billion pounds with leading British businesses to drive forward the development of the most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy," Shapps said at the 2023 Conservative Party Conference.
The UK defense chief added that the new "hunter-killer" submarines would allow the country to maintain its strategic advantage under the sea and help fund thousands of jobs in the country.
Australia, the US and the UK announced a new trilateral defense partnership called AUKUS in September 2021. The first initiative announced under the AUKUS defense pact was the development of nuclear-powered submarine technology for the Royal Australian Navy, so the Australian government decided to abandon its agreement, estimated at $66 billion at that time, with France's Naval Group company for the construction of diesel-electric submarines.
Further, Shapps said that the United Kingdom is deploying Typhoon fighter jets in Poland to protect its NATO ally from an alleged threat from Russia.
"In response to requests from our Polish friends, RAF [Royal Air Force] Typhoons are landing in Poland as I speak to support our NATO ally amid the growing threat of Russia interference," he said at the annual Conservative party conference.