Today’s news blog includes coverage of Type 26 warships and reports from over the weekend that an Army captain will be stripped of his Military Cross.
Warships
The Sun speculates that the Ministry of Defence has “gone back” on a £11.5 billion deal for its fleet of new Type 26 warships in order to save £225 million on the deal with BAE Systems.
Leaked emails allegedly reveal that BAE offered to reduce the cost of the programme by £275 million and promised to start work on time. However, it is reported the MOD refused the compromise, meaning a delay of at least a year while contracts are renegotiated.
A Government spokesperson said:
The UK Government is committed to building ships on the Clyde and to the Type 26 programme. Over the next decade, we will spend around £8 billion on Royal Navy warships and, because Scotland voted to remain part of the UK in 2014, the Clyde will continue to be an important manufacturing base for them.
Medals
The Daily Telegraph and yesterday’s Mail on Sunday report that an Army captain will be stripped of his Military Cross amid accusations commanders exaggerated his actions. It is reported soldiers raised concerns about the description of the circumstances in which Captain William Boreham earned his honour following a Taliban attack on British forces in 2012. The reports suggest Capt Boreham has been exonerated and there is no suggestion he embellished his own actions.
The Ministry of Defence can confirm that an investigation is ongoing into the circumstances surrounding the award of a gallantry medal relating to an incident in Afghanistan. As the matter is still being investigated, we do not wish to comment further.
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