The Ministry of Defence has reaffirmed its commitment to establishing an “always on” supply line for shipbuilding, as outlined in the Strategic Defence Review 2025, according to a written parliamentary response by Defence Minister Luke Pollard.
In a statement issued on 17 October, Pollard referred to a previous answer given by the former Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry during Commons questions in June, in which Graeme Downie MP had raised the issue.
“As outlined in the Strategic Defence Review and in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, the Government are committed to supporting an ‘always on’ shipbuilding industry by leveraging our buying power through public procurement and seeking to export our capabilities to friendly nations,” the earlier response stated.
Pollard added that this commitment has since been reinforced through the publication of the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS), which highlights the central role of the British shipbuilding and maritime technology sector in sustaining national capability and economic growth.
The government now plans to publish a dedicated shipbuilding and maritime technology action plan to fulfil the DIS commitments. This will aim to maintain production continuity, strengthen domestic supply chains, and ensure a sustainable industrial base capable of meeting Royal Navy requirements and export opportunities. The “always on” model seeks to avoid the cyclical surges and lulls that have historically disrupted British naval construction, instead promoting steady work flow and continuous innovation across design, build, and maintenance phases.
Here is an idea how about a buy some much needed kit action plan? rather than all these meetings, commities, projects and press releases and long winded statements and bugger all else.
Oh, the MOD are “developing a shipbuilding action plan”. That’s alright then. I’m probably being foolish but I thought it was a case of ordering ships from the private sector and then letting them build them without interference so that they wouldn’t take ten years to build.
A shop building plan that sees continuous build is a great idea.
It’s so good it won’t survive contact with the first sacred cow once reform comes in and starts cutting.
*ship
Do any of them have an interest, other than a sound bite, when they think it’s required.? I doubt it.
I don’t think Reform will be cutting shipbuilding more likely to increase it ! For a start knowing the lifespan of our carriers and the time it takes to design and build them we should be looking at that immediately. The nuclear deterrent is a joke if you don’t have boats at see 24/7 so we need to sort that one too !
Farage will cut everything to give his rich friends a tax break
I hope its better than the Army A vehicle and TUL TUM plans over the last thirty years……
I doubt it m’lord….
Let’s not get negative this is needed, another surge of shipbuilding is needed but what we don’t want is the continuation of the death spiral of boom bust in which money is wasted having to regenerate industrial capabilities..that reduce the amount of money to buy new ships and increase the cost of each ship.. this always on model is what has allowed Italy with a far small shipbuilding budget to completely outbuild the UK and have a larger and more modern major surface combatant fleet.
So always on is important for both the future number of ships the RN can afford to buy the quality of the ships, their affordability and how likely British shipping is able to leaver international commercial opportunities.. countries only want to buy ships that are being build.. not take the risk of a ship that is not in existence.. Italy sells hulls directly from its products slots for its navy..its navy even works up the ships ready for the customer. That is why it’s been successful at selling complex warships in a very tight marketplace.
Now we have an always on plan we need to see exactly what ships will be ordered to make sure it’s always on… Time for money where mouth is… very specifically in the BABCOCK T31 line.. so I expect the RN to be ordering 1 new T31 or variants every 18 months for the foreseeable.
So legislation to make sure each ship line always has an order is good.