John Baron MP presses Defence Secretary on Royal Navy capabilities

MP says Royal Navy needs more ships

During Defence Questions in the House of Commons today, John Baron MP questioned the Secretary of State for Defence, Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP, about the size of the Royal Navy.

In the Chamber, John asked,

“No matter how capable, a Royal Navy ship can not be in two places at once. On the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, and given that 95% of our trade is seaborne, is it not obvious that we need to substantially increase our surface fleet, and within that include a larger number of cheaper ships if we are to play our full role in keeping the world’s sea lanes open?”

The Secretary of State responded that he completely agreed with the substance of the question, and that the Royal Navy was investing in the Type 26 and Type 31 destroyers, the latter specifically designed as a cheaper vessel.

Afterwards, John said,

“Open sea-lanes are the lifeblood of maritime nations such as ours. Events in the Straits of Hormuz earlier this year are a reminder that we should not take the freedom to navigate these sea-lanes for granted, and that at times we must be prepared to take responsibility for protecting our own shipping.”

“The current Royal Navy, with only slightly more than 20 surface ships, is stretched thinly across the world. It is imperative that we field a larger Navy in order to address the challenges of an increasingly unstable world.”