"Only the first": Jubilant PM calls for more "quality" ship exports after Royal Navy Type 26 Norway deal
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The Prime Minister has called for more British warships to be exported to other nations after a huge £10bn deal was agreed.
Sir Keir Starmer signalled that other countries could buy UK-built military assets in the future. This comes after a mammoth £10bn contract was secured with Norway over the weekend to supply them with Type 26 frigates - models currently being produced for the Royal Navy.
Eight warships are currently being built for the force at the BAE Systems’ Govan shipyard in Scotland, with five to be produced for the Norwegian Navy. In a visit to the facility today (September 4), Sir Keir said the employees allowed the UK to win the contract and fend off France, Germany, and the United States.
“We won that because of you,” he added. “So there’s no point thanking me because I could not have landed this order if Norway didn’t have confidence in what you’re doing.
“What I mean by confidence in what you’re doing is the quality of what you do here but also the speed at which you could turn this around. That means the 15 years’ worth of shipbuilding here has been secured by you on your reputation, and I really want you to take that in.”
The Type 26 frigates will be equipped with a medium-calibre gun, Sea Ceptor missiles, a towed sonar array and a helipad capable of accommodating Merlin and Chinhook helicopters. The first of the eight, HMS Glasgow, is scheduled to begin sea trials later this year.
Fears have been expressed that the deal could result in delays for the Royal Navy, but no decisions have been made on timetables as of yet. The prime minister said more countries will be looking to the UK for defence deals.
“Every country across Europe has increased their defence spending and they’re looking for countries to collaborate with on the defence building that they need to do,” he added. “So Norway is first up. We’re talking to the Danish, we’re talking to Sweden, we’re talking to Turkey and other countries.
“So I hope this is only the first in what will be a series of contracts. That is down to you. It’s down to Scotland and Glasgow and what you and those before you’ve been doing for generations. I’m really pleased with this.”