The Ministry of Defence has formally withheld all detailed budget and financial forecast information for the Dreadnought nuclear submarine programme, citing national security concerns and invoking Section 23 of the Freedom of Information Act.
The decision was set out in a letter from Permanent Secretary Jeremy Pocklington to the Defence Committee chair Tan Dhesi on 10 April, written in response to questions raised during an evidence session on the MoD’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25, in which the Department had committed to providing further information on several outstanding questions.
Pocklington explained that “continuing to publish detailed budgets and financial forecasts would provide more detail than desirable to adversaries about the intended delivery schedule for Dreadnought and the transition from the Vanguard Class, particularly when aggregated with other open-source information”, adding that inferences about programme progress “could be used to attempt to disrupt it, or lead to perceived vulnerabilities in our nuclear deterrence system which could undermine its effect.”
The Department concluded, based on the Public Interest Test and the advice of the Principal Security Adviser for the programme, that Section 23 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 applied, and that “it was therefore necessary to withhold all detailed financial information from publication for the year ending 31 March 2025”, with a further Public Interest Test to be conducted as part of the data collection exercise for the year ending 31 March 2026.
Costs are almost irrelevant when it comes to these subs. I don’t believe a carte-blanche attitude is at the heart of this programme, as it was always going to be expensive, and the current Iran war isn’t going to help reduce material costs.
Some Smart Alec will Work out How Much DREADNOUGHT IS Costing…! NOT Sure Who their Hiding this From….! Obviously a big Number £££
Which means the budget is totally out of control and eating the conventional budget.
There is no national security justification for covering that up.
Of course it might be that ISD has been accelerated….by STARMITE….
If by ISD you mean In Service Date then that would be to his credit. We are currently putting the crews under inhuman strain and running the risk of the CASD failing. I would support cutbacks elsewhere to put that right although I would rather see increased spending.
Cutbacks? Like doing away with the 12 escorts or selling the carriers? About the only things left to cut back on.
12 Escorts….And just how many Available? 6 SSNs And How many Available?….I would have thought the IRANIAN Crises And the HMS DRAGON Debacle Would Put Off Any Buyers…!
One of each?
The budget has been recently reported as still with in the initial cost estimate plus contingency fund.
Well that must be the first time ever.
Are you sure ?
Notice the contingency fund has been invoked! Cost of pies in Barra has risen, don’t you know and Barra workers need their pies and fried fish and chips on a Friday night.
Even Millom house prices are rising as labour increases in Barra and people need ”affordable” housing; shame the local infrastructure is not up to much.
Its always been a boom and bust town. They could build a new estate up towards the Park road roundabout but the risk is that in 25 years time it will be a bust again. Barra needs more than just the yard but where it is makes that unlikely.
That is actually a good point – Roose is expanding towards Dalton and towards the Coast Road at an exponential rate but why they didn’t go out towards the roundabout is a really good question – I wonder if it was zoned for housing and the good denizens of Hawcoat feared their property values being deminished?
With the now defunct quarry on the other side and the old under mining towards Askam, perhaps there might be issue, not to mention the Hawcoat gulf course might be a tad unhappy to have their view ruined.
For me, unlimited money, I would re-instate the chord off the CCL from just west of the A590 bypass to the FL at Goldmire Quarry and run trains into Barra via Roose every 30 minutes with outward alternate destinations of Millom(+) and Lancaster(+) and create a commuter town out of Roose and put a freight terminal on the Park Road estate capable of handling containers for materials bound for DDH. However, I know nothing.
Google maps shows that nothing has been built over the old right of way!
Yep that’s total bollox.. maybe a breakdown year by year and detailed costs.. but aggregated costs, nope.
I can’t remember the Vanguard costs being published but being involved I knew them anyway so I wasn’t necessarily paying attention.
My guess is they’ll Use the Excuse of Norwegian t26 Order to Slow Down Royal Navy t26 purchase to Save money..! Will Also have the Effect of kicking t45 Replacment the t83 Rather Conveniently Down the Road…All to save Money..! Probably to pay for Dreadnought and future SSGNs…!
I smell BS.
I agree with SB.
Standard to hide things on NS grounds.
Embarrassment at the budget and what it is doing to conventional defence. And we know this government, so far, have done nothing about expanding conventional defence re numbers, but are delighted to put as many other funding streams as possible into the Defence budget.
“Biggest sustained increase since the Cold War” is how endless MoD Parrots tell it, time and again, and nobody in the media contradicts them.
Pensions. Chagos. Afghan rehoming, DNE, Ukraine Ops, SIA, all critical to conventional defence numbers? Nope.
I expect if a FOIA was ever asked as to the TRUE % spent on conventional defence, that is for kit, units, and personnel to staff them, that info would also be withheld.
Well said!
Chagos has been put to bed. Stop parroting.
These boats are obviously eating the defence budget and will more than likely be over budget and late into service. Not sure if anything can be done to mitigate the costs.
They are stealth boats so maybe they can just say boats 3 and 4 are being built but they’re just so stealthy you can’t see them and just not build them?
Don’t tempt fate Peter.
So late and way over budget then?
Well,
The rest of Europe better put their hands In their pockets If they want the UK’s protection.
Fuck me I’m a Genius.
They already did.. we got a snotty tissue and a half chewed haribo.
Well I guess It’s a start !
That gave me a chuckly, thank you.
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I reviewed the very limited public info last year and guesstimated that the programme’s £10 bn contingency was nearly used up. The corollary was that soon the MOD and government would be unable to keep claiming that the programme “remained within budget”. A year later …
French MoD doesn’t disclose any numbers about their future SSBNs either.
Neither do the Irish.
Beginning to belive its more likely that Europe will have to Defend US.!! .Rather than the Othet Way Around…! After the IRANIAN Conflict Debacle there Seems to Be Some Serious Questions as to What Capabilites Britain has left….?? And that From Outside Britain..! And I’m NOT just talking About DT…!
Bust.