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Navy needs to be in shape for today's world
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has accused the Ministry of Defence of 'woeful confusion' over its handling of HMS Victory during a visit to Portsmouth.
After a first tour of the Naval Base and warship HMS Ark Royal Mr Clegg told The News he backed the building of the two new aircraft carriers – but wanted a new defence review.
And supporting The News' Save Our Ships campaign, the MP said the MoD should drop any thoughts of giving Victory away to a private firm.
He said: 'I think this is a classic example of a bean-counter somewhere thinking they can make a cost saving without looking at the wider value of Victory.
'Her worth to the navy is incalculable and it would be hugely unwise to pass her on to a private firm.
'The sort of saving they could make is absolutely miniscule in comparison with the rest of the defence budget, and it smacks of a woeful confusion of priority.'
Mr Clegg said he had been impressed by Portsmouth Naval Base under the command of Commodore David Steel, who hosted his visit.
He said: 'I was impressed by Commodore Steel. He fought very hard to keep the base open in the recent review and he seems to have done well keeping costs low to ensure its long-term future.'
But he also accused the government of spending money in a vacuum because of a lack of planning.
He said: 'The last strategic review was a decade ago and that is too long. There has been tremendous change and we have to ask difficult questions about where the forces are going to spend money.
'I have said we should get our troops out of Iraq as quickly as possible to bolster our efforts in Afghanistan, but there are wider questions.
'We have to ask if we want to mimic America as a mini-superpower, which I don't think is the way to go, or whether we try and look more broadly at our work in counter-terrorism, and our fight against the drugs trade.
'It is essential that Britain retains a capable and professional navy.'
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Weather for Portsmouth
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: -4 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
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