Royal Navy warship HMS Dragon has finally left the UK for the eastern Mediterranean, a week after its deployment was announced. The Type 45 destroyer is capable of shooting down drones and ballistic missiles fired by Iran and its proxies as the Middle East conflict continues. The crew of the vessel were seen lining the deck as the ship moved out of Portsmouth harbour.
A union previously claimed that Government cost-cutting measures to only employ staff between 9am and 5pm at the port helped to slow the deployment efforts.
Prospect, which represents tug boat workers and engineers at HMNB Portsmouth, argued that Government decisions to slash costs by reducing staffing at the base have contributed to delays in the warship setting sail, POLITICO reported.
The MoD reportedly awarded a new contract to private operator Serco for in-port services at the base in May last year. It is claimed that this reduced capacity, with around-the-clock staffing stopped and 9am to 5pm weekday hours instead introduced.
The situation has fuelled renewed debate over the size and readiness of the Royal Navy’s surface fleet at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions.
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US President Donald Trump had criticised the UK for its reluctance to join the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, saying: « We don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won! »
Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, said: « Our members are stepping up to help, but such a vital service shouldn’t be dependent on goodwill from staff. Out-of-hours support should be locked into the contract. This contract has failed its first real encounter with a serious crisis, and must be urgently reviewed and rectified. »
A Serco spokesperson said: « Serco has fulfilled every task requested by the Royal Navy on time and to the agreed standard. Any suggestion that the working patterns of Serco employees have impacted HMS Dragon’s ability to sail is completely untrue. »
An MoD spokesperson said: “All requests that have been made to Serco to support the preparation of the ship have been fulfilled.”
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