Defence Readiness Minister Luke Pollard has admitted that HM Naval Base Clyde, also known as Faslane, requires a “massive investment” to address ageing infrastructure that has impacted the availability of the Royal Navy’s submarines. The base, home to the UK’s submarine fleet, has suffered from long-running availability issues affecting both the Astute-class attack submarines and the Vanguard-class submarines, which carry the Trident nuclear deterrent.
Minister Cites Austerity Policies for Backlog
Speaking to the Scottish Affairs Committee, Pollard blamed “austerity policies” from the previous Conservative government for creating “a real backlog” of necessary work at the base. He stated: “We need good facilities to dock the submarines, we need good facilities to maintain the submarines and we need good facilities for our people who work there. At the moment, it’s fair to say, what we inherited doesn’t deliver all three of those.”
Pollard assured MPs that the much-delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP) will free up capital for upgrades. He said: “We’re going to have to spend large amounts of capital spending upgrading the submarine infrastructure on the Clyde to make sure we can meet the threats we’re facing and we are dealing with a backlog of underinvestment, especially in some of those capital projects.”
Delays and Resignations Over Funding
The DIP was originally due to be published in autumn but has been repeatedly delayed due to a funding row. Former defence secretary John Healey and armed forces minister Al Carns both resigned from Sir Keir Starmer’s government over concerns about spending. Pollard noted he had “stayed to help complete the DIP when two of my colleagues resigned” and that the plan will be released soon.
The outgoing Prime Minister has insisted the DIP will “completely overhaul” how funding is spent and will be published before a NATO summit in Turkey on July 7.
Submarine Availability Issues
Reports emerged earlier this month that all five of the Navy’s Astute-class hunter-killer submarines were in dock awaiting maintenance and repairs. The ageing Vanguard-class has also faced challenges, with increasingly long deployments due to maintenance issues. In January, it was revealed that captains and senior officers use a garden to relax before deploying for missions that can last more than 200 days.
The Royal Navy’s submarine fleet, comprising four Vanguard-class and five Astute-class vessels, is critical to the UK’s nuclear deterrent and national security. The required investment aims to ensure the base can support these submarines effectively.
