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'It seems to me the Government has forgotten how important maritime power is to our nation,' former Navy chief Admiral Lord Alan West declared

Andy Burnham has delayed ordering new submarines for two years despite growing global threats to Britain.

Sir Keir Starmer pledged last year to build "up to 12" nuclear-powered submarines, adding that an exact number would be revealed in its Defence Investment Plan (Dip).

But after the long-awaited Dip was released, Labour has continued to push its deadline for committing to buying the subs until 2028.

Wes Streeting, the Defence Secretary, wrote to his Conservative shadow James Cartlidge: "The DIP clearly sets out our intention to buy up to 12 SSN-A submarines, but a decision on exact hull numbers does not need to be taken at this stage.

"The programme is currently midway through its design phase and we anticipate that the number of submarines will be confirmed before the end of this phase in 2028."

Mr Streeting added the Government now has the capacity to manufacture a submarine every 18 months from the "mid-2030s" and a delayed decision over the number built would not affect when they entered service.

The Shadow Defence Secretary slammed the decision to refuse to commit to a number of submarines as "a shambles" amid "rising" threats - former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in Ukraine as Russia struck a "locomotive" on the border.

Mr Cartlidge told The Telegraph: "When Labour published their strategic defence review, the headline announcement was their plan to buy 'up to 12' submarines."

He added: "I could say I want to buy up to 12 Ferraris but if I don't have the money, I won’t get any.

"The actual number of submarines was meant to be confirmed in the long-delayed Dip, but this was months late and left us none the wiser.

"Finally, Wes Streeting has had to admit Labour won't be able to tell us the answer until 2028. This is a shambles.

"The threats are rising and the world is becoming more dangerous, but Labour need three years simply to decide how many submarines they are planning to buy – let alone to start building any. This is not serious."

The submarine revelation follows the Prime Minister telling the Commons he would not cut welfare to increase defence spending.

Downing Street later said Mr Burnham was "consistent about getting the welfare bill down" but did not intend to do so with "crude cuts" after Conservatives proposed to fund defence by slashing housing benefits by around £4billion.

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Mr Burnham has been criticised for failing to set a target to commit to spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence, an issue his own Chancellor John Healey resigned from Sir Keir's cabinet over.

In the strategic defence review published in June 2025, one year before the Dip, Sir Keir and Mr Healey announced the 12 attack submarines would be manufactured as part of Aukus, the security agreement between Britain, Australia and the US.

Britain's new attack submarines would enter service at the end of the next decade, replacing the Navy's existing five Astute-class vessels.

The oldest of the fleet, 16-year-old HMS Astute, could be forced to be in service beyond its intended 25-year lifespan if a replacement is delayed.

Former Navy chief Admiral Lord Alan West, a Falklands veteran, said the failure to commit to was "extraordinarily disappointing" and would delay when the vessels enter service.

He said: "If you don't get your order in quickly, you’ve got a problem downstream and waiting until 2028 is too late. The shipyards and all the businesses that provide parts all these people need to know. These timescales mean that’s got to be done, and not doing it is a disgrace."

The Government has said we need to reinforce our strength. The nuclear attack submarines are one of the key instruments of our maritime power.

"It seems to me the Government has forgotten how important maritime power is to our nation."

And Tom Sharpe, the former Royal Navy commander, said the Government was engaged in a "can-kicking exercise" which had depleted Britain's defences.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "Our commitment to building up to 12 next-generation attack submarines, as set out in the DIP, is unchanged.

"A decision on exact numbers does not need to be taken at this stage, with no impact on the delivery schedule."