Corbyn to call for £1bn navy deal to stay in UK

Jeremy Corbyn will call for Navy shipbuilding contracts to stay in the UK in a speech in Glasgow.

On a visit to the historic shipbuilding heartland of Govan today, the Labour leader will say the three new Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships must be built in Britain. The UK government plans to put the £1 billion contract for the ships out to international tender later this month and has faced union calls to reverse the decision.

Mr Corbyn is expected to accuse the Conservatives of “trashing” the UK’S shipbuilding tradition and attempting to accelerate its decline.

He is expected to say: “Workers in British shipyards, from Plymouth to Rosyth, share a proud tradition – building the best ships in the world.

“But the Conservative government is trashing that tradition.”