Builders’ HMS bill
REPAIRS to a leaking HMS Queen Elizabeth, the UK’s new £3.1 billion aircraft carrier, will not cost the British taxpayer a penny, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has insisted, adding that the ‘contractors who built her’ would be footing the bill.
The warship, the biggest and most powerful ever built by the UK, was only accepted into the Royal Navy fleet by the Queen earlier this month.
It is understood the cost of fixing the leak could reach into the hundreds of thousands. THE police force dedicated to protecting Britain’s rail network is scaling up its counter-terror operations.
British Transport Police (BTP) is creating new units consisting of firearms officers, specialist support dogs and “behaviour detection” personnel in Birmingham and Manchester.
The move comes as the UK faces a severe terror threat, following five attacks between March and September. In the wake of May’s Manchester bombing, armed officers patrolled on board trains nationwide for the first time.
BTP Assistant Chief Constable Alun Thomas said: “Although our firearms units are currently based in London, they have been regularly patrolling trains and stations in places such as Manchester and Birmingham since early this year.
“But in the current climate, we know how important it is to make sure we have specialist and highly trained officers in the right place at the right time to keep people safe, which is why we are looking to recruit even more people.”
The force, which launched a recruitment drive for officers to fill the hubs in August, emphasised that the measure is not being taken in response to any direct threat to the rail network.