‘Belligerent’: Former PM Malcolm Turnbull whacks Peter Dutton

Malcolm Turnbull has launched a blistering attack against Peter Dutton over his handling of a multi-billion dollar submarine deal.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has ripped into Peter Dutton over his “belligerent” claims about submarines.

Mr Turnbull blasted the former defence minister’s role in scrapping a French submarine deal in favour of nuclear boats from America and the United Kingdom.

Australia is not expected to receive the first of the nuclear subs for almost 20 years.

In an explosive opinion piece written last week, Mr Dutton revealed he had planned to buy two Virginia-class subs from by US sooner in order to plug the capability gap.

“It was just more blustering from Dutton,” Mr Turnbull told ABC Radio on Monday.

“He’s a belligerent blusterer who wrecked a submarine contract.”

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has savaged Peter Dutton.

It is not the first time Mr Turnbull has criticised the cancellation of the French submarine deal, but his language was particularly cutting on this occasion.

“We’re now in a position where we don’t have any submarine program at all,” he said.

“Between (former prime minister Scott) Morrison and Dutton they did enormous damage to Australia’s national security.”

Former defence secretary Dennis Richardson said it was “wishful thinking” that Australia could have received two nuclear submarines from the US by the end of the decade.

“The more the Americans hear senior Australians talk about the possibility of getting them in five years’ time or in 10 years’ time, the more people in the American system scratch their heads and ask themselves whether they’re dealing with a country that seriously understands the depth of the challenge,” Mr Richardson told ABC Radio.

“It’s a long shot to think that we’ll get nuclear-powered submarines from the Americans by 2030.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Saturday that Australia had agreed to pay the French-based Naval Group $830 million over the scrapped submarine contract.