HMS Sultan in Gosport saved from closure after hard fought campaign to retain Royal Navy base

The Royal Navy base was earmarked to be shut by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), but the decision has now been reversed. It was planned to close in 2029.

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It was part of the MoD’s ‘A Better Defence Estate’, which planned to dispose of 91 military sites across the UK. Alec Chalk KC MP, minister of state for defence procurement, confirmed the decision.

The change of heart comes after a hard fought campaign. Caroline Dinenage, Gosport MP, said the closure would be detrimental to Royal Navy engineering training, a financial disaster for the MoD and a betrayal of the Gosport community.

She said: ‘I’m delighted that the Ministry of Defence have finally concluded what local people have always known, that closing HMS Sultan would be a huge mistake for the MoD the Royal Navy and Gosport.

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‘This area has a proud history of serving our Armed Forces and excellent facilities such as these are vital to ensuring that our personnel are equipped with the skills they need to defend our country.’

Ms Dinenage formed a Gosport ‘taskforce’, made up of local and national stakeholders to provide alternatives for HMS Sultan closing. She met with former defence secretary Michael Fallon MP shortly after the 2016 announcement. In 2017, she brought then defence minister, Tobias Ellwood MP, to Gosport to visit HMS Sultan and show him the importance of retaining the base.