GOSPORT MP Caroline Dinenage has quizzed the Prime Minister on the future of Portsmouth’s shipbuilding industry.
Speaking at David Cameron’s weekly question time in the House of Commons, Ms Dinenage asked for reassurance that Portsmouth would remain integral to the building of warships.
And while the Prime Minister offered words of encouragement about the city’s future as the home of the Royal Navy, there was no reassurance over its shipbuilding future.
Ms Dinenage said: ‘The Prime Minister will be aware Portsmouth has been the home of the Royal Navy and a working dockyard for over 500 years.
‘What reassurance can the Prime Minister give me, and 1,500 shipbuilders, that Portsmouth will remain integral to the building and export of warships and to the base port of our future surface fleet?’
Mr Cameron replied: ‘My honourable friend quite rightly speaks up for Portsmouth which is, and will continue to be, an excellent home for the Royal Navy.
‘The Royal Navy is fully committed to Portsmouth and whatever decision is taken on the future of shipbuilding, the navy will remain a major employer in the city, not least once the new carriers arrive in Portsmouth in a few years time.’
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