PM awards contract to build five more warships on the Clyde

The Prime Minister made the announcement while he was attending the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, which looks set to be dominated by the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Russia's actions put all of us at risk," said Mr Sunak.

"As we give the Ukrainian people the support they need, we are also harnessing the breadth and depth of UK expertise to protect ourselves and our allies.

"This includes building the next generation of British warships."

The expansion of the programme to build the frigates, designed for anti-submarine warfare, follows the attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which have been blamed on the Kremlin.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that the order would boost the British shipbuilding industry.

He said: “We are investing in our fleet to ensure our Royal Navy maintains its world-leading capability to protect and defend our nation at sea.

"Supporting thousands of high-skilled jobs in Scotland, and more across the wider UK supply chain, this contract will continue to boost our British shipbuilding industry, galvanising the very best of British engineering, manufacturing and design."

The announcement was welcomed by the Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, who met Mr Sunak in Downing Street last month.

Mr Ross said the contract underlind the "enormous economic benefits" of the Union.

“This is fantastic news for shipbuilding on the Clyde and a massive vote of confidence in the highly-skilled workforce at BAE Systems," he said.

“This huge investment by Rishi Sunak’s Government will safeguard around 3,500 jobs on the Clyde and a further 500 across the UK through to the mid-2030s, as well as boosting our naval defences at a time when the threat from Putin’s Russia is growing.

“This contract also highlights the enormous economic benefits Scotland derives from being part of the Union."

MPs were told yesterday that military shipbuilding in Scotland would end if the country became independent. The Scottish affairs committee heard evidence from Keith Hartley, emeritus professor of economics at York University, as part of its inquiry into defence in Scotland.

Shipyards in Scotland are involved in the building programmes for the Type 26 and Type 31 ships ordered by the Royal Navy. The Babcock site in Rosyth and BAE Systems on the Clyde in Glasgow are the main sites where defence ships are built.

Mr Ross asked Mr Hartley whether he could see a future for military shipbuilding in an independent Scotland.

Mr Hartley said: “At the moment the industry’s future depends on the Royal Navy. Without the Royal Navy you would not have an industry.

“An independent Scotland will presumably have a minute navy. It would be like, for example, Ireland, with offshore patrol vessels. In short, I don’t see a future for a Scottish warship-building industry in an independent Scotland.”

Deidre Brock, an SNP MP, said that previous evidence from Babcock, which has invested more than £70 million in its Scottish facilities, suggested the company would expect to continue building military vessels at Rosyth.

The Type 26 frigates will be just under 150m long — about the length of three Olympic swimming pools — and equipped with the Sea Ceptor missile defence system.

Construction is expected to be completed by the mid-2030s. They will replace the ageing Type 23 Duke-class fleet. 

However, the previous Type 26 frigate programme has faced delays during construction. This month it emerged that the launch date of the first of an initial six submarine-hunting warships had been delayed by a year to 2028 at a cost of £233 million to the taxpayer.

Meanwhile, Mr Sunak again declined to commit to a promise from his predecessor Liz Truss to raise defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP, compared to the Nato minimum of 2.5 per cent, as he and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt seek to balance the books.

He downplayed concerns by some in the Conservative party that ditching the target could be seen as a weakness by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We've got not just a current but a historic track record of being strong investors in defence and prioritising Nato," the Prime Minister told reporters travelling with him to Bali.

"I think people can feel completely assured that we're investing in our defences".
He continued: "In terms of what does weaken Putin, I mean what he's going to see from me is unequivocal condemnation of his actions at the G20."

Mr Sunak also pointed to the UK's "significant" financial and military assistance for Ukraine.

"I don't think Putin or anyone else can look at that and say in any way that we're weak," he said.