Rebecca Smith MP, Member of Parliament for South West Devon, has grilled a Defence Minister in Parliament on the Labour Government’s plans to sell Devonport-based HMS Bulwark and Albion to a foreign navy. This comes after it was revealed that the Government could sell the Plymouth ships, rumored to be Brazil, for a price that undermines previous spends on refits and maintenance.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Rebecca Smith MP, Member of Parliament for South West Devon, asked:
Given that HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark are reportedly being sold to another navy for a figure that could well undervalue previous spends on refits and maintenance, how does the Minister justify the economic impact of their sale on Plymouth and Devonport dockyard, let alone the reduction in amphibious capability in the Navy, when the promised multi-role support ships are at least half a decade away from service?
Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Industry Maria Eagle responded:
I do not recognise any of the figures that have been bandied around in the newspapers; it would not be accurate to take them as anything other than speculation.
The disposal shows that we are delivering for defence by divesting ourselves of old capabilities to make way for the future, as the First Sea Lord Admiral Ben Key put it. Those ships were effectively mothballed by the previous Government, so I will not take any lessons from Conservative Members on how to deal with these matters.
Reflecting on the Minister’s response, Rebecca Smith MP stated:
The Last Conservative Government committed to keeping Plymouth’s HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark in service until 2033/34 when their replacements would be ready because it understood the importance of having an amphibious capability.
When the new Labour Government announced it would axe the Devonport-based ships last November, I was the only Plymouth MP to speak out against the decision. The ships are now reportedly being flogged to a foreign navy for a price that undermines previous spends on refit and maintenance.
Today I asked a Labour Defence Minister to justify this short-sighted move which weakens our national security and harms our local economy. Yet again, Labour's front bench have chosen to deflect and deny, rather than answer the question head on.
Rebecca has been a lone voice in Plymouth against the axing of Devonport-based HMS Bulwark and Albion in Plymouth. The assault ships equip the Royal Marines with the capability to launch amphibious raids. In January, she asked the Defence Secretary in Parliament when the ships’ planned replacements will be delivered. The South West Devon MP has vowed to hold the Government to account until the plans for the axed Plymouth ships are made clear.
The £500m Labour Government defence cuts also includes the Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland, two tankers, RFA Wave Knight and Wave Ruler, Watchkeeper WK450 Mk1 drones, 14 CH-47 Chinook helicopters and 17 Puma helicopters.
