Nuclear subs not ‘fit for purpose’

The infrastructure for supporting the Royal Navy’s fleet of nuclear submarines is no longer “fit for purpose”, MPs have warned.

The Commons’ Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said past decisions to delay maintenance at the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) 13 nuclear sites in the UK had created a “ticking time bomb”.

The warning came after the National Audit Office disclosed that the MoD’s “Nuclear Enterprise” programme had a £2.9 billion “affordability gap”.

PAC chairwoman Meg Hillier said that there were “serious questions” over the MoD’s ability to meet its national security commitments.