The Scottish Parliament has debated the consequences of Norway’s decision to select the Glasgow-built Type 26 frigate as its next generation warship, with Labour MSP Paul Sweeney using the occasion to call for a dedicated shipbuilding strategy for Scotland.
The members’ business debate, led by Sweeney, followed confirmation of a reported £10 billion agreement for at least five Type 26 frigates to be built at BAE Systems’ Govan and Scotstoun yards. The motion noted that the order book now stands at 18 frigates, making it “the largest surface naval shipbuilding programme in Europe, rivalled only by those in the United States and China.”
Sweeney, a former BAE Systems employee, told the chamber: “The deal has brought with it a wave of optimism to the shipyards on the River Clyde, in stark contrast to when I worked there a decade ago. I think that I express the will of the whole Parliament in extending our gratitude and thanks to our Norwegian neighbours for their vote of confidence in our shipbuilders and the world’s best frigate design.”
He said the impact would be wide-reaching: “Not only will the deal with Norway directly sustain more than 2,000 jobs at the Govan and Scotstoun shipyards, providing a stable workload for the next 15 years; it will cascade work to 103 businesses across the shipbuilding supply chain in Scotland. Together, those businesses support more than 12,000 jobs in this country.”
Drawing on his own family’s experience of redundancies during the decline of the 1990s, Sweeney added: “This is not only about building ships; it is about building a future… That is the source of my motivation to play my own part in reviving Glasgow’s shipbuilding industry.”
The Glasgow MSP argued that the Scottish Government must now match the confidence shown by Norway. “We need a specific shipbuilding strategy for Scotland, and at the heart of that strategy must be a change to Scottish public procurement law to include a mandatory social value weighting in tenders for shipbuilding programmes,” he said.
He criticised the current approach as “outdated, laissez-faire public procurement policy… handing an unfair advantage to state-supported overseas competitors.” On the tendering of CalMac and lighthouse service vessels, he noted: “The Norwegian Government seems to have more confidence in Scotland’s shipbuilding capabilities than this Scottish National Party Government has—that is the reality.”
Sweeney pressed for the Scottish National Investment Bank to provide finance so local yards could compete with subsidised rivals in Spain, Turkey, Poland and China. He concluded: “This is personal, not political, for me. One of the main reasons why I am here in this Parliament is to help Scottish shipbuilding succeed.”
Other MSPs from across the political spectrum backed the deal as a landmark moment. SNP member Alasdair Allan said: “The latest order is the largest single defence capability investment in Norwegian history and certainly represents a vote of confidence in the company and in the wider Scottish economy.”
Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr highlighted Norway’s choice over rival designs: “Norway had other options. Designs from France, Germany and the United States were all under consideration, but it chose the British Type 26 because it is world class.” He also argued that the UK’s 2017 National Shipbuilding Strategy had been key in enabling exports.
Labour’s Davy Russell said the order “restores Glasgow’s shipyards to their place as the pride of the United Kingdom and Scotland” and pressed for “a comprehensive shipbuilding strategy and placing direct orders of any future ships and ferries.”
Alexander Stewart, a Conservative MSP, called the agreement “a landmark moment for the Scottish shipbuilding industry” and supported Sweeney’s point on the need for capital investment across commercial yards: “If we are to create that kind of environment, we must ensure that other yards can fulfil orders and provide capacity within the system.”
West Scotland Labour MSP Katy Clark highlighted Ferguson Marine’s uncertain position, warning: “Continued failure by the Scottish Government to deliver on the promised investment or to help the yard secure work is creating uncertainty about the yard’s future.”
Responding for the Scottish Government, Business Minister Richard Lochhead said: “The recent announcement from the Norwegian Government of a £10 billion investment in naval ships to be built on the Clyde has, of course, been welcomed by the First Minister and members across the chamber today… It is also… a vote of confidence in the workforce.”
Lochhead avoided attributing credit to one government but acknowledged: “It shows that our shipyards are competitive in what is a global industry.”
It’s mental how bad the SNP are and because of Reform they can look forward to another decade in power on 37% of the vote and keep claiming they have a mandate to break the country up.
Interesting that the £10Bn frigate order is in the top five bullet points by Starmer on Laura K this morning as to what he has achieved.