Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has called on the government to reverse defence cuts and urgently boost investment in the Royal Navy, to counter the threat posed by Russia following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking ahead of a visit to Portsmouth on Saturday, Ed Davey said additional funding was needed to fix warships in urgent need of repair and ensure the navy is able to defend the UK’s interests in Europe and around the world. All six of the navy’s Type 45 destroyers were recently docked in port, four of them in Portsmouth, due to problems with their engines. The timescales for repairs have experienced significant delays and are not expected to be completed until 2028. Ed Davey said the delay was “unforgivable” at a time the UK is facing a renewed threat from Russia and needs to be able to defend maritime trade from potential disruption. The government is planning to slash day-to-day defence spending by 1.4% in real terms between 2021-22 and 2024-25. MPs on Parliament’s Defence Committee have warned that these cuts will impact on the Royal Navy and that increased funding is needed to boost its capabilities. The Liberal Democrats are calling for these defence cuts to be reversed and for urgent investment in boosting the Royal Navy. This would include increased funding to speed up the improvement of Type 45 destroyers and investing in building more Type 31 frigates, alongside the five currently in construction. This extra funding would be expected to have a positive impact on local jobs in Portsmouth, home to the Royal Navy and the largest operating naval base in the UK. It would also build on the work of Portsmouth City Council, run by the Liberal Democrats, which recently announced an investment of over £92 million to refurbish and modernise Portsmouth International Port (PIP) over the next 20 years. The move is expected to generate approximately £800m for the economy and secure over 11,000 jobs. Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey commented: “Boris Johnson must recognise the existential threat posed by Putin to our NATO allies, by immediately cancelling planned real-terms cuts to our armed forces. “Now is not the time to be undermining our Royal Navy by slashing defence spending. “That should include urgent investment in boosting our Royal Navy and fixing our destroyers that have been plagued with problems for many years. “It is unforgivable that at a time we face a renewed threat from Putin’s Russia, six of the UK’s destroyers have been stuck in port and are not set to be fixed for years to come. “Portsmouth has a long and proud history as a Royal Navy base and a successful commercial port. “Investing in improving the UK’s naval capabilities would boost local jobs at home and help protect vital UK interests abroad. This would build on important work of the local Liberal Democrat council which is investing in Portsmouth International Port and generating thousands of jobs in the city.”
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2 comments:
If we hadn't spent all that money on HMS white elephants there would be enough for frigates and destroyers. Meanwhile, MOD tried to acquire new IFVs which are unusable for the crew, instead of off the shelf ones from - say - Germany. We need to spend smarter, not just more.
Yes, thanks to Gordon Brown's leaving present, the coalition was saddled with a contract which would have cost more to cancel than to build the aircraft-carriers.
Smart spending must be right.
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