'Ceded' build slots for new Royal Navy Type 26 frigates passed to Norway amid fleet size pressures

Vital build slots to construct advanced new frigates for the Royal Navy have been ceded to Norway amid an ongoing pressure to strengthen then fleet.

Minister for defence industry and readiness, Luke Pollard, confirmed that timeframes to build Type 26 warships have been handed to the Scandinavian ally. A total of eight City-class vessels are due to be built for the Royal Navy, with this decision set to cause delays in creating the full compliment for the UK.

Responding to a parliamentary written question from Ben Obese-Jecty, Conservative MP for Huntingdon, Mr Pollard said: “Royal Navy force structure and procurement plans are kept under continuous review. A number of slots have been ceded as part of the Norwegian deal. The delta is yet to be made up through additional orders, and this will be a consideration of the Defence Investment Plan.”

A mammoth £10bn agreement was signed between the UK and Norway in August 2025 for ships to be constructed at the BAE Systems yard in Govan, Scotland. A full compliment of 13 was projected between both nations, five being Norwegian.

British forces have been working extensively alongside Norway in patrolling the North Atlantic, given the repeated actions of Russian spy ships and submarines in the region. A defensive pact - the Lunna House Agreement - outlined that a hybrid force will be used by both nations to secure the region, alongside the High North.

The Type 26 frigates are HMS Glasgow, Cardiff, Belfast, Birmingham, Newcastle, London, and Edinburgh. They are designed to scope out submersibles using advanced weapons systems and radars, and provide a compliment to the Royal Navy aircraft carriers on operations. The closest to completion, HMS Glasgow, had her engines tested in landmark trials at the end of 2025.

Mr Pollard said the Type 26s are expected to begin entering service from 2028 and into the 2030s. He added that all the new Type 31s, Inspiration-class General Purpose Frigates, will be in service by the early 2030s.

These are desperately needed for a fleet which is shrinking in size. The Royal Navy currently has 13 aging Type 23 frigates at its disposal, soon to be 12 if HMS Richmond retires this year as expected. Many more of them may be retired by the time the new ships are ready.

In response to a written question from Conservative MP Rebecca Smith, he said: “This is part of a carefully managed modernisation programme, which will see these new highly capable Frigates enter service, and the Type 23s retire from the Royal Navy following decades of dedicated service. In addition, there will be significant long-term investment in the six Type 45s, to enhance and sustain these world beating Air Defence platforms into the late 2030s.”

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The eight ship total has been under scrutiny amid fears this will be reduced. The Defence Investment Plan, previously scheduled to be published in November last year, has still yet to be published - outlining how major military projects will be financed over the next ten years. Arguments between the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence over the necessary finances are believed to be the stumbling block.

As reported in the UK Defence Journal, Conservative MP Andrew Murrison told the House of Commons that “well-placed sources are suggesting that the number of Type 26 hulls on the order book may be reduced or transferred to our Norwegian allies”, asking Mr Pollard if the government is proceeding with eight Type 26 frigates.

The Labour MP said they would, and said the deal with Norway “sustains Type 26 production on the Clyde for many years to come”. Defence minister Al Carns echoed this. he said: “the Type 26 programme will deliver eight anti-submarine warfare frigates for the Royal Navy, which are designed primarily for operations in the North Atlantic and will form a core component of the Atlantic Bastion concept.”