Minister says that aircraft carrier should be
here by autumn
THE new Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier
should make its triumphant arrival into Portsmouth Harbour this autumn, defence
secretary Michael Fallon has said. He said the new carrier would be undergoing
sea trials within ‘the next few weeks’ before arriving in the city later this
year.
The minister was in Portsmouth for a tour
around the city’s Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) base.
Speaking to The News, he said: ‘The target
for Elizabeth is the autumn, she has to be in the navy by the end of this year.
‘She is currently finishing off various
tests, and once the sea trials are completed she will be brought down here.’
Mr Fallon also confirmed the aircraft carrier
HMS Prince of Wales is due to arrive in Portsmouth in 2019.
During his visit to the base he was shown the
team’s mission control room, where he spoke to sailor Sir Ben Ainslie by radio.
The Olympic gold medallist and his team are
training in Bermuda for the America’s Cup.
Joined by parliamentary candidate for
Portsmouth South Flick Drummond and city council leader Donna Jones, Mr Fallon
was also shown around the base’s education centre and took in views of the city
from the roof.
Asked about what people in the city should
expect if he is re-elected, Mr Fallon said: ‘People in Portsmouth are going to
see the carriers arrive here, the continuing expansion of the naval base.
‘There will be more and more opportunities
for businesses in Portsmouth to service and maintain the two carriers. We are
also going to see more work transferred here, and Portsmouth will also gain
from the economic recovery.
‘There has been the growth of the university,
the arrival of BAR, it’s changing as a city and will keep on growing.
‘The navy is growing and Portsmouth will be a
main beneficiary of that.’
The government had previously said the Queen
Elizabeth carrier would be in the city this summer, but failed to provide
reasons for the delay.
The two new aircraft carriers are the largest
vessels ever built by the navy.
Mr Fallon represented the city as Minister
for Portsmouth from January to July 2014, after the post was created by
then-prime minister David Cameron. Later that year he was promoted to the
cabinet in his current post of defence secretary. The general election is
taking place on June 8.
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