A UK government press release published on 22 September 2026 said the UK and US had for the first time fired a US torpedo from a British undersea drone. According to the release, the live firing of a heavyweight torpedo jointly developed by the US and Australia took place in UK waters the previous week, launched from a 12-metre-long Plymouth-made uncrewed vessel named Excalibur. It was described as the first time either country had launched a torpedo from an undersea uncrewed vessel rather than a crewed submarine, under the AUKUS programme.

The release also said Prime Minister Andy Burnham was travelling to New York that day for the UN General Assembly and expected to meet US President Donald Trump. It said he was expected to announce a new UK-US AI and Autonomy partnership involving the Ministry of Defence Rapid AI Delivery Taskforce and the US Department of War Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, and to confirm that the UK-hosted G20 Leaders' Summit would be held in Manchester the following November.

The release stated the UK would take over the G20 Presidency from the US after the Miami summit in December. It also said Burnham was expected to co-host an event on a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine with President Macron, Prime Minister Carney, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and the UN Secretary General.