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New cloud over future of navy
New fears over the future of the Royal Navy have emerged – on the day work officially began on the fleet's new supercarriers.
The Princess Royal officially pressed the button to begin steel cutting for HMS Queen Elizabeth, which will be partly built in Portsmouth, at a high-profile ceremony yesterday.
But within minutes of her completing the official event at the Govan shipyard in Glasgow, Scotland, the government announced a wide-ranging spending review that could throw the project into doubt.
Defence secretary Bob Ainsworth announced in the Commons that the government was to hold the review – the first since 1998 – to look at the future of armed forces spending.
The government said the review would look at all its commitments, including equipment programmes – including the aircraft carriers, Trident, the RAF's Eurofighter Typhoon programme and plans for new armoured vehicles for the army.
Mr Ainsworth also placed emphasis on land-locked Afghanistan as the focus for armed forces activity for the foreseeable future.
Industry experts quickly identified the second carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, as a possible casualty of any cuts, along with the MoD's expensive Trident missile system.
Former naval officer Steve Bush, now editor of Warship World, urged the government not to use the review to cut the fleet – and to leave the carriers programme alone.
'It would be idiotic to cut either of the carriers because it would rob Britain of a vital capability,' he said.
The two 65,000-tonne vessels are due to be based in Portsmouth, but before then building work is happening from Devon to Durham.
The head of the navy, Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, said yesterday he was confident the carriers would play a big part in Britain's future.
He said: 'The carriers represent a step change, enabling Britain to deliver air power from the sea wherever and whenever it is required.
'These ships are not just spare airfields, they are an instrument of national power: the 'big stick' which can be waved by the government in areas of strategic interest to influence, coerce and deter.'
Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock said it was too late for the government to go back and axe the carriers. 'This ceremony is a historic moment because it probably marks the point of no return,' he said.
'We should be pleased that there is this momentum for the project.'
And defence minister Quentin Davies yesterday said the ships would be worth the investment.
He said: 'The versatility of the design together with the long service life of these ships will ensure that we will be able to deal with the uncertainties of the future for years to come, and they will deliver the support to deployed UK forces around the globe.'
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Weather for Portsmouth
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Light sleet showers
Temperature: -4 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: -4 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
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