UK govt. slammed for building subs with French steel
UK Defense Minister Michael Fallon has kicked off the building of new nuclear-capable submarines, despite public outrage over their costs and the material used to build them.
Fallon attended a steel-cutting ceremony in the northern English town of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, to set off the manufacturing process of four “Successor” submarines, with an estimated cost of £31 billion.
An extra £10 billion contingency fund will be available to deal with overruns.
The submarines, which will be designed to carry US-provided Trident nuclear missiles, will be manufactured by BAE Systems.
The news drew outrage from the British public after it was revealed that the BAE Systems would use French steel to make the hulls of the submarines.
According to the Mirror, at least 1,000 jobs would have been protected had the government opted for British steel instead.
"This is a betrayal of British steelworkers,” said Roy Rickhuss, head of steelworkers’ union Community, adding that Fallon had “snubbed” the British industry.
The decision was also slammed by Labour Shadow Defense Secretary Clive Lewis, who blasted the Tory government for its “obsession with cost-cutting.”
“The Tory obsession with cost-cutting means they are not even using British steel to build our ships and vehicles,” he said.
The Mirror reported that at least two UK firms planned a joint bid to supply required steel plates for the new subs.
According to the daily, the British government has used foreign metal for various military projects over the years, turning a blind eye on the domestic steel industry which is crumbling due to cheap imports and soaring energy costs.
BAE, which is already under fire for its major deals with countries blacklisted by the country’s foreign office for rights violations, said the contract did not stipulate using British material.
The deal comes shortly after the UK signed an £18 billion deal with France for the construction of Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset, South West England.
So far the Ministry of Defense has refused to disclose the Trident program’s overall cost on the grounds that it is classified. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, however, has put the figure at around £205 billion.
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