Prime Minister David Cameron confirms £44m Cammell Laird project is safe

Oct 27 2010 by Gemma Jaleel, Wallasey News

DAVID CAMERON has rescued a £44m Cammell Laird contract to help build a giant aircraft carrier.

The Prime Minister made the pledge during last week’s Strategic Defence and Security Review despite admitting the end product will bring short-lived benefits to the UK.

The news will bring relief to Cammell Laird’s 1,200-strong workforce due to work on the 2½-year project.

Work has already begun on the flight deck and hangars for HMS Queen Elizabeth.

David Cameron was scathing about the “appalling legacy” left by Labour, which he said meant it was too late for the Ministry of Defence to cancel the second carrier.

Due to the contracts minutiae, he said it would have cost more to shelve plans for the second carrier than proceed with it.

And he announced that HMS Queen Elizabeth would be put into “extended readiness” – effectively meaning it will be mothballed three years after it enters service.

Government sources have suggested the carrier could be sold to another country to recoup some of the building costs.