{"text":[[{"start":7.65,"text":"The Royal Navy will order at least six combat ships that can deploy drones in the air and underwater, as part of Sir Keir Starmer’s long-awaited defence investment plan that will be set out this week. "}],[{"start":19.6,"text":"The common combat vessels, which are part of a new system to replace the current Type 45 destroyers, will be the Navy’s first hybrid warships and are due to be delivered in the early 2030s."}],[{"start":32,"text":"They reflect a pivot towards greater use of unmanned drones instead of conventional military hardware. "}],[{"start":38.15,"text":"The Labour government is set to drop longstanding plans to build eight Type 83 destroyers to replace the ageing Type 45 destroyers. Plans for five Type 32 frigates, first announced in 2020, are also being dropped in favour of the common combat vessels. "}],[{"start":54.599999999999994,"text":"Military funding has been hugely controversial, with defence secretary John Healey resigning this month, saying that Starmer’s plans fell “well short” of what was required. "}],[{"start":64.39999999999999,"text":"The final plan, agreed by Healey’s successor Dan Jarvis, is expected to include at least £1bn in additional funding, taking the total increase to more than £14.5bn in excess of that previously planned. Healey had pushed the Treasury for a figure closer to £18bn. "}],[{"start":82.25,"text":"The government said the new vessels would act as “a control hub for uncrewed systems . . . extending the Navy’s reach, resilience and firepower without a proportional increase in crew or cost.” "}],[{"start":92.75,"text":"It added that it had decided against plans for Type 83 destroyers on the basis that this would have involved “a small number of large, expensive ships”."}],[{"start":102.1,"text":"Starmer, who is expected to leave office once his successor is chosen, could unveil the plan as early as Tuesday, as he seeks to establish his legacy. "}],[{"start":111.85,"text":"The plan has been signed off by his likely successor Andy Burnham after Starmer made clear his intention to push it through before his exit: “The PM was clear this was a decision that had been made,” said Burnham’s spokesperson. "}],[{"start":124.3,"text":"The blueprint will include more investment in drones and other autonomous systems, including uncrewed ground vehicles for the army to resupply the frontline and evacuate casualties. "}],[{"start":135.15,"text":"Steve Reed, communities secretary, told Sky News on Sunday: “We have to be ready for any future war, and what that will be like, not whatever the last war was like.”"}],[{"start":145.8,"text":"The defence spending plan was initially due to be published last autumn but has been beset by wrangling between the Ministry of Defence, Downing Street and the Treasury."}],[{"start":156.70000000000002,"text":"Healey had complained that Starmer’s original plan would only take spending on defence to 2.68 per cent of GDP by 2030, and instead called for it to reach 3 per cent. "}],[{"start":168.35000000000002,"text":"The government said the common combat vessels would work with other new vessels including eight Type 26 and five Type 31 crewed frigates. These would help to counter Russian activity in the north Atlantic and the Arctic, it added. "}],[{"start":189.9,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1782701136_9715.mp3"}