MoD confirms commitment over aircraft carriers after budget fears
THE Ministry of Defence (MoD) has insisted it is “fully committed to operating” both new Royal Navy aircraft carriers following speculation over their future.
It comes after the GMB union called for “urgent clarification” over reports that one of the carriers could be mothballed to help address a £500 million budget shortfall.
Workers at Rosyth in Fife and other yards across the UK are currently manufacturing the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, and have commitments to maintain the vessels throughout their lifetime.
The shipbuilding union said “alarm bells are ringing” among members at the suggestion work could be reduced.
It follows a report in The Times that the Royal Navy is trying to save £500m over the next two months after “wasting money on ships it did not need”.
Other options suggested include cutting the size of the Royal Marines, and a failure to meet the budget shortfall would mean the Army, Royal Air Force and Joint Forces Command will be asked to bail the Navy out, the Times reported.
GMB Scotland organiser Gary Cook said: “The mere suggestion that one of the aircraft carriers could be mothballed by the MoD will set alarm bells ringing among our members and particularly in Rosyth.”
An MoD spokesman said: “We are fully committed to operating both HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales and to naval shipbuilding on the Clyde.”
He added: “The Defence Secretary confirmed last year that steel will be cut on the first anti-submarine Type 26 Frigate this summer, providing warship building work on the Clyde until 2035.”