Independence will have serious impact on Scottish shipyards, warn Labour

THE warning came as the Ministry of Defence unveiled plans for the Type 26 Global Combat Ship – due to become the flagship for the Navy in 2021.

The multi-mission warship, which is due to come into service after 2020

THE chances of Scottish yards winning work on the Royal Navy’s next generation of warships are being jeopardised by uncertainty over independence.

The warning came as the Ministry of Defence unveiled plans for the Type 26 Global Combat Ship – due to become the flagship for the Navy in 2021.

The 435ft frigate has a radar stealth design containing vertical missile silos and a hangar to hold a helicopter and smaller boats. It also has the capability to launch unmanned drones.

The design has been worked up by defence giants BAE Systems, who have shipyards at Govan and Scotstoun on the Clyde.

Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy said: “This is a great chance for our highly skilled workforce there – but the MoD haven’t built a warship in a foreign country in living memory. If we leave the UK, we leave the Royal Navy and lose their order book.”

SNP defence spokesman Angus Robertson MP said: “It is the second-to-none Scottish skills base and technical expertise that brings orders to the yards, and that will continue under independence.”

Source: Daily Record, Glasgow, UK.