Local Member of Parliament, Craig Mackinlay, recently visited the new fleet of aircraft carriers in Scotland. The visit, organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Armed Forces, gave Members of Parliament the unique opportunity to see the progress of construction of HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. Prior to visiting the ships at Rosyth Dockyard, MPs were given an update on the carrier programme and carrier aviation by Rear Admiral Keith Blount OBE, Rear Admiral Fleet Air Arm and Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff for Aviation, Amphibious Capability and Carriers.
The new aircraft carriers will play a crucial role in the future security of the United Kingdom and are testament to the abilities of the UK’s Armed Forces to keep the Country safe. Mr Mackinlay welcomed the continued assurances from the Chancellor in last week’s Autumn Statement, which delivered on the Government’s commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence. The Chancellor also announced that F23 aircraft will be purchased soon so that, by 2023, one of the two new aircraft carriers will be available at all times to operate anywhere in the World.
Following the successful visit to Scotland, Mr Mackinlay said, “To see the building of the UK’s two new aircraft carriers was simply awe-inspiring. Britain has a world renowned reputation for ship-building and it was fascinating to see it in action. We live in an uncertain world with constant threats of new challenges. These need to be tackled head on and it’s important that Britain’s capability is as strong as it can be.”