Decision on where to base new frigates needs to be made '˜urgently'

URGENT decisions need to be taken about where to base the navy's new fleet of frigates.
A CGI of the Mission Bay on the future Type 26 Global Combat Ship for the Royal NavyA CGI of the Mission Bay on the future Type 26 Global Combat Ship for the Royal Navy
A CGI of the Mission Bay on the future Type 26 Global Combat Ship for the Royal Navy

That’s the call being made today as The News continues its campaign to secure the Type 26 and Type 31e frigates in the city’s naval base.

It comes after a call from the city council’s leader, Councillor Donna Jones, who demanded she will ‘not take no for an answer’ in the quest for Portsmouth to be the home of all the new frigates.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Now, Councillor John Ferrett has thrown his weight behind the effort.

John FerrettJohn Ferrett
John Ferrett

The independent politician was the negotiator for Prospect union – which represented much of the city’s dockyard – for more than a decade.

He said securing the new breed of naval warships would provide a vital lifeline for industrial workers in Portsmouth for generations to come, creating more work in maintenance and repair.

The councillor added that the city could play a role as a key refitting hub for the Royal Navy’s future fleet.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, he said a ‘paralysis’ created in the government as a result of the EU referendum in 2016 needed to first be overcome.

John FerrettJohn Ferrett
John Ferrett

In a demand on Whitehall, Cllr Ferrett said: ‘We need some action.

‘We need something to happen.

‘My fear is that Brexit and the fallout from that is just paralysing government and the Ministry of Defence.’

He added the city becoming a refit hub would help boost jobs and provide more skilled workers for the area’s maritime economy.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘Clearly Portsmouth can become that hub as such but unfortunately with the Ministry of Defence and government, decisions take so long make,’ he said.

‘We do need some proper review and some decisions being taken sooner rather than later.’

The News’s Bring Them Here campaign was launched yesterday.

It is urging the government to consider the city as the base for the eight state-of-the-art Type 26 frigates and the five Type 31e frigates.

Currently the navy’s fleet of 13 Type 23 frigates is split between Portsmouth and Devonport, with seven based in Plymouth’s naval base and six located here.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Cllr Ferrett said that whatever decision was taken on where the new warships will be based needed to be done ‘strategically’ but he said: ‘The government needs to look at Portsmouth seriously in terms of future work because people do need to that security going forward.’

Both new frigate types will be in service in the early 2020s.