A UK parliamentary inquiry has found that the program intended to deliver new nuclear-powered submarines to Australia may be negatively impacted by funding issues, raising uncertainty about the program's future.
UK newspaper The Guardian reported earlier this week that a House of Commons defence committee inquiry into the AUKUS submarine program, "revealed shortcomings and failings in the delivery," of the program.
The defence committee's report said the shortcomings, "threaten to prevent [AUKUS] becoming a reality."
The committee said that the funding shortfall was the result of leadership failures, hence the call for deeply unpopular Prime Minister Keir Starmer to assume a more prominent role in driving AUKUS forward and preventing it from being derailed.
The committee remarked that political leadership was essential to ensuring, "the success of a program of AUKUS' length, cost, and complexity."
The UK Government's secrecy over the progress of the program has also come under scrutiny. In particular, the defence committee pointed out that there has yet been no publication of the findings of AUKUS adviser and former national security adviser Stephen Lovegrove more than one year after he completed his review of the program.
The committee said it was deeply disappointed by the oversight as it could affect public confidence as well as the confidence of stakeholders in the program.