Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MOD CUTS RISK SINKING OUR LAST HOSPITAL SHIP
BRITAIN could lose its only hospital ship as the Ministry of Defence faces a black hole of up to £13billion.
The RAF could also lose spy planes before replacements are supplied, the National Audit Office warned as it blasted the Mod’s equipment plan as “unaffordable” for a third year running.
The Mod’s “short-term focus” meant assets such as the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship and some Sentry radar aircraft could go as funding runs out. Boris Johnson has promised a deep review of foreign and defence policy.
The MOD predicts its rolling 10-year programme to purchase and support aircraft, ships and weapons will cost £183.6billion from 2019 to 2029 – a budget
CHRIS Packham has slammed Cambridge University for putting giant nets over trees to prevent birds from building nests.
Pictures of the nets, which completely cover the branches of rows of trees on the university’s West Cambridge site, emerged yesterday on social media.
And within minutes of the photos being posted, Packham – best known for starring on the BBC’S Springwatch – had shared them with his 394,000 Twitter followers, calling the university “outrageous”.
The netting has been placed over around 20 trees on the campus to stop wildlife building nests in the branches, so it is easier to remove greenery when the time comes.
The
RSPB overrun of £2.9billion. A “worstcase scenario” is £13billion.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said there is “work still to do” and Labour counterpart Nia Griffith called for “proper investment”. says it is an offence to destroy an active nest – but there is no law against installing nets to prevent nesting. Packham, 58,said: “This is absolutely outrageous!”
His disapproval was in response to a post by bird ringer Stewart Abbott, who shared photos of the nets.
Mr Abbott wrote: “Absolutely deplorable decision to put these nets up.” The Cambridge branch of environment group Extinction Rebellion called for their removal saying: “Anti-bird nets in the territory of a biodiversity emergency area, as declared by Cambridge City Council last year.” Cambridge University was approached for comment.