MP insists future is bright for Devonport as Royal Navy warships scrapped

Three Devonport-based warships are to be scrapped in a cost-saving exercise announced by the Government - but city MP Luke Pollard insisted the future of Plymouth’s defence industry remained bright.

Amphibious assault ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark and the Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland are to be decommissioned as part of a plan to save the Ministry of Defence £150m over the next two years.

Secretary of State for Defence John Healey made the announcement in the House of Commons, also saying that two support tankers, Army drones and helicopters would also be scrapped. He blamed the former Tory Government for leaving Labour with the “dire inheritance” of a financial black hole.

Mr Pollard, under-secretary for state for the armed forces, told PlymouthLive that Albion and Bulwark had effectively been mothballed by the previous Tory government and would never see service again in any case. He said Labour had merely made a decision the previous government had avoided.

He stressed that HMS Northumberland was in such a poor state of repair it was not economically viable for the ship to return to sea - and it was due to be replaced by a new Type 26 frigate anyway.

Mr Pollard, MP for Sutton and Devonport, said the cash saved from scrapping the warships would be ploughed back into defence and he was eager for Plymouth to get a share.

And he stressed that the future of the city’s dockyard and defence industry was bright, with new amphibious Multi-role support ships (MRSS), Devonport-based Type 26 frigates and enough submarine work to keep the dockyard busy for the next 70 years.

Mr Pollard said he was pleased there was now certainty over the future of HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark after the “cloud of confusion” that existed during the previous Tory administration.

He told PlymouthLive: “As Devonport MP I have been calling for clarity for them for years now. The last government had effectively mothballed these ships, something ministers denied when I raised it in the Commons.”

He said that it had already been decided that the ships would not sail until they were decommissioned in 2033 and 2034, effectively meaning: “They were mothballed and not available for our Royal Navy and Royal Marines.”

He said both ships were tied up in Devonport - with Bulwark not having been to sea since 2017. He added: “By decommissioning them, the MoD will not only save multi-millions of pounds to invest in new kit and capabilities, but we have clarity on a situation that was unacceptable for Plymouth for too long. They should have been decommissioned by the last government but they parked that decision until after the election.”

He said HMS Northumberland had served for 30 years but had last been at sea in 2022 and had suffered “massive structural damage” which was “beyond repair”.

He said: “This ship is not available to the Royal Navy and we could spend hundreds of millions of pounds to get it sea-worthy and by then it would be replaced by the Type 26s. It is a sensible decision.”

Mr Pollard said the focus must now shift to when new capabilities the military needs to face its new challenges, such as the war in Ukraine. And he said he would be fighting for “good investment for Plymouth”.

Mr Pollard said that with Labour colleagues Fred Thomas and Anna Gelderd there would be a focus on a “Devonport deal” which would bring investment in housing, transport and skills for Plymouth to support an increase in jobs needed in defence in future years.

He said: “We need this to recruit the workers we need for the submarine work we have guaranteed for the next 70 years. There is a bright future for Devonport with new capacity.”

Mr Healey, in his Commons statement, had spoken about more “difficult decisions” to come but Mr Pollard would not be drawn on the possibility of future defence savings, and stressed a Strategic Defence Review, still focused on spending 2.5% of GDP on defence, would take place in the first half of next year.

But he said that with the experience of the war in Ukraine the UK is now facing a “more difficult world”. And he said: “We have to make sure we have the best cutting edge tech and we should be focussed on delivering the best kit for our people - not old kit that can’t do the job.”

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