Albanese and UK PM Starmer discuss AUKUS submarine plan

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer flagged, during a phone call to congratulate Anthony Albanese on his historic election victory, that he would shortly dispatch a top defence adviser to Australia to discuss the AUKUS submarine program.

Starmer spoke to Albanese on Sunday morning after the Australian leader won a second term in government.

"Australia and the UK have a strong and enduring friendship, and the prime minister said he looked forward to working with Prime Minister Albanese in the years to come, including through increased trade and economic security for working people in both countries," a Downing Street spokesperson said.

They discussed defence and security, including shared support for Ukraine and agreed to "increase ambition" on the AUKUS submarine program.

Starmer said he would ask his AUKUS adviser, Stephen Lovegrove, to travel to Australia in the coming weeks to discuss the programme further.

AUKUS is a trilateral naval security alliance between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Under the AUKUS partnership, Australia is set to acquire three Virginia-class submarines from the US in the early 2030s before a new fleet of boats is built for delivery from the 2040s.

But the US is behind in its production of the boats needed, and under the agreement, the American president can sink the deal if his navy's capabilities are at risk.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in February said the president supported supported the $368 billion deal after Australia made an $800 million down payment for the plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

Albanese also had phone conversations with other world leaders on Sunday, including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to his X account.