Australia news live: Richard Marles left adrift as UK counterpart quits hours before scheduled visit to naval yard

Australia’s defence minister had been due to visit a naval base in Portsmouth with British defence secretary John Healey. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Resignation of Britain’s defence secretary will have ‘no effect’ on Aukus, minister says Tim Ayres, the minister for innovation, said the resignation of John Healey in the UK, Britain’s defence secretary, will have “no effect” on the Aukus partnership. This is a partnership that has deep support across all three countries’ political systems, within the public service and the defence agencies in all three countries, and indeed with the defence industry, because it’s in the interests of all three countries. Over the life of this agreement … there will be many ministers for defence for all three countries, many secretaries for war in the United States case, who are there charged with delivering this program. Continue reading...