Plans for extra warships dropped
Plans for extra warships dropped
2008-06-23Newsfeed
The Government has announced that it is dropping plans to build an extra two Royal Navy warships after it emerged that the resources for naval spending were not "unlimited".
The Government has announced that it is dropping plans to build an extra two Royal Navy warships after it emerged that the resources for naval spending were not "unlimited".
Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth told MPs that the Government would not be taking up the option to build the seventh and eighth Type 45 destroyers.
It has already ordered six of the high-tech £600 million vessels, which are designed to protect against air attacks, and had seen a £14 billion investment in Royal Navy shipbuilding.
However, Mr Ainsworth said that there were not "unlimited resources" for naval spending and insisted that there was "sufficient capability" in the fleet.
"We have to prioritise between a range of competing requirements, focusing on the balance between current operations and future capability," he said. "That is why I can confirm that we have taken a decision not to take the option to order the seventh and eighth Type 45 destroyers.
"The six destroyers already on contract will provide a formidable capability. These ships will be far more capable than we first envisaged, helping to mitigate any shortfall in overall capability."
Copyright © The Press Association 2008
