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AAP
AAP
Politics
Dominic Giannini

Defence minister to meet with new UK counterpart Healey

Australia's nuclear submarine program will be on the agenda during Richard Marles' visit to the UK. (Richard Wainwright/AAP PHOTOS)

Defence Minister Richard Marles will travel to the UK to meet with new Defence Secretary John Healey following a change in government. 

It is the first Australian ministerial trip to Britain after Labour took power in a landslide victory and Sir Keir Starmer became new prime minister earlier this month.

The two-day trip from Friday will enable the pair to discuss the development of Australia's nuclear submarine program and defence relationship, Mr Marles said.

The deputy prime minister met with Mr Healey on the sidelines of a NATO security summit in Washington this week.

"We have a real sense of confidence about the support that there is from the new government in relation to AUKUS," he told ABC radio on Friday, referring to the pact that also includes the US and will deliver Australia nuclear submarines.

"This will be a really good opportunity to talk through in detail, the arrangements we have in place with Great Britain in respect of AUKUS."

There was a strong commitment to the submarine program from the new Starmer government, Mr Marles said.

The trip comes as the first three Australian Navy officers graduated from a nuclear reactor course offered by their counterpart, which Mr Marles called "a significant milestone in developing the skilled workforce required to operate Australia's future nuclear-powered submarines".

He will visit a naval base where the three officers will soon begin training on a UK Astute-class submarine as well as Sheffield Forgemasters - a key industrial site for the nuclear submarines' construction.

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