RUSHES: Conservative Party conference 2023: Grant Shapps speech

Conservative Party conference 2023: Grant Shapps speech; ENGLAND: Manchester: Manchester Central Convention Complex: INT Grant Shapps MP (Secretary of State for Defence) speech SOT / cutaways of audience including James Cleverly MP (Foreign Secretary), wife Susannah Cleverly. - "Because we know the world is changing. So as a result, we’re working ever closer with our allies. Developing the latest naval technology to protect our Commonwealth kith and kin in the Pacific as they face up the challenge of the rapidly expanding Chinese navy. Deploying two of the world’s largest and most advanced carriers in history the Royal Navy has ever seen, in the Queen Elizabeth, HMS, and HMS Prince of Wales. We are ploughing billions into our own naval shipbuilding program, as well as civilian construction to create jobs and grow our economy. And Britain is one of the few nations capable of operating in every ocean of the world, simultaneously. Our ultimate national insurance policy is, of course, our at sea nuclear deterrent. So, we’re building the new Dreadnought-class submarines that will carry Britain’s nuclear deterrent into the middle of the century. And today I can announce that we have signed contracts worth £4 billion with leading British businesses to drive forward the development of the most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy. These hunter-killer AUKUS submarines will empower the Royal Navy to maintain our strategic advantage under the sea – enabling us to compete with emerging navies anywhere in the world as our world becomes more unpredictable and dangerous. Today’s announcement will support thousands of jobs, from Barrow-In-Furness where these submarines will be built, to Derby where our reactor-build facilities will be expanded. And by backing British businesses to develop them, we are taking the long-term decisions we need to boost our defence industry and to grow our economy. Under our Prime Minister’s...