Solent: Portsmouth City Council condemns end to ship-building in England

Centuries of historic ship building in Portsmouth will end with the decision by BAE Systems to axe 1,775 jobs at its yards in Scotland and England – ending shipbuilding in Portsmouth with the loss of 940 jobs, as well as 170 agency workers at the site.

BAE Systems employs a total of 4,400 people in shipbuilding in the UK, 1,200 in Portsmouth and 3,200 across Govan, Scotstoun, Rosyth and Filton. The company said it had made the cuts because of a ‘significant’ drop in demand.

Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson, leader of Portsmouth City Council, has condemned the decision to shut down the last remaining shipyard in England with the capability to build advanced surface warships.

He said: "This decision is bad for Portsmouth, with the loss of many highly-skilled jobs, but it's also bad for the defence of the UK and for the Royal Navy.

"The remaining yards with the capability to build advanced warships are in Scotland, and the referendum on Scottish independence is less than one year away. Ministers have put the defence of the UK and the future of the navy at real risk.

"We will work as hard as we can to protect jobs in Portsmouth.

"Portsmouth remains the home of the Royal Navy with more than 10,000 jobs remaining in the dockyard."

A statement by BAE Systems said: "Under these proposals, shipbuilding operations at Portsmouth will cease in the second half of 2014. Subject to consultation, Lower Block 05 and Upper Blocks 07 and 14 of the second Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier will be allocated to Glasgow. The company remains committed to continued investment in the Portsmouth area as the centre of its maritime services and high-end naval equipment and combat systems business."