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Britain's High Commissioner confronted Opposition Leader Peter Dutton over his warning that UK nuclear submarines should not be chosen by Australia as part of the AUKUS deal, saying his comments were not helpful and she did not agree with them.
Key points:
- Vicki Treadell says she spoke to Mr Dutton about his comments on Tuesday night
- She says she believed they were not helpful given the AUKUS agreement is a "genuine" partnership
- Anthony Albanese has confirmed he will meet US President Joe Biden in the coming days
Last week, Mr Dutton advocated for Australia to acquire its future nuclear submarine fleet from the United States instead of the UK.
He said he received advice when he was defence minister before last year's election that the UK did not have the production capability to support an Australian program as well as its own.
"The advice to me at the time was very clear: that Rolls-Royce didn't have any production capability left, no headroom; Barrow-in-Furness is obviously landlocked, it didn't have the ability to scale up," he said at the time.
Speaking at the National Press Club on Wednesday, British High Commissioner Vicki Treadell said she spoke to Mr Dutton on Tuesday night and said she did not agree with his view.
"He is commenting on an outcome he doesn't yet know," she said.
"There is a lot of speculation, everyone is entitled to speculate.
AUKUS announcement this month
Ms Treadell was also asked if the UK was prepared to align its own defence requirements to ensure it can work with both Australia and the United States as part of the partnership.
"In any partnership it is about how we work together, how we deliver together," she replied.
"So there will be an interoperability in the way we move forward together."
Earlier on Wednesday Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed he would travel to the United States in coming days for a meeting with President Joe Biden.
His confirmation follows reports that the UK's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be making his way to San Diego in the coming week.
It follows ongoing negotiations between the three countries about the construction of nuclear powered submarines for Australia.
When asked if the UK was actively looking at buying more Australian military products, as urged by the federal government, Ms Treadell said demand for all Australian products was high.
"Isn't that the whole point of the [Free Trade Agreement] … to open up each other's markets for more British and Australian companies to trade with each other and to increase the investment we make in each other's countries?" she said.
"The fact that we are in partnership, not just on a future solution for Australia's submarine capability, but what we are already doing on the Type-26 frigate tells you all you need to know."