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Britain says to boost defence spending, cut ministry jobs

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Monday it would boost investment in defence and security to respond to a growing range of threats, but would also need to cut defence ministry civilian staff. In a Strategic Defence and Security Review, the government said it would slash civilian staff by 30 percent and sell off large chunks of the ministry's estate to help pay for its security and defence plans over the next five years. Replacing Britain's nuclear submarine fleet would cost 31 billion pounds, the review said, 6 billion pounds more than an earlier estimate. (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Sarah Young, editing by Elizabeth Piper)