 |
Secretary of State confirms French involvement in carrier construction
June 20, 2007 10:26 AM
Secretary of State for Defence, Des Browne yesterday confirmed substantial French involvement in the building of the new aircraft carriers and refused to deny rumours that Rosyth dockyard might lose out on the construction of two superblocks for the carriers ordered by the Ministry of Defence. During Defence Questions in the House of Commons, Willie Rennie, the MP for the dockyard asked Mr Browne to confirm details of French involvement in the construction of the carriers, as well as details about Rosyth specifically.
Mr Browne revealed that France had been involved significantly up to this point and would continue to be involved.
During Defence Questions, Mr Rennie said:
"There have been numerous reports in recent weeks about a possible collaboration with the French on the construction of two new aircraft carriers, including one today that suggested that Rosyth could either lose out or even be the base for those new carriers. Would the Secretary of State care to comment on the collaboration with the French, whether any conclusions have been reached, how UK dockyards would be affected, and whether Rosyth would benefit from being the base for the aircraft carriers?"
Responding, the Secretary of State said:
"We need to be careful lest we increase the proliferation of rumours, but I accept that every rumour detrimental to my job is an opportunity for a Back Bencher. All I can say to the hon. Gentleman is that our co-operation on the carriers with the French is very productive, as they have made a significant contribution. We continue to work with them. The new President and Government who have been elected still support the venture, and I look forward to continued co-operation. As for conclusions, the hon. Gentleman will just have to wait with everyone else for the outcome."
After the Questions, Mr Rennie went on to say:
"It is high time the government declared once and for all their intentions for the aircraft carriers, the continued stalling of decisions must be extremely frustrating for the excellent staff at Rosyth. I will continue to press the Ministry of Defence for a decision."
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats