(Berwick-upon-Tweed)
(Con): Does the Prime Minister agree that the news of the fire and
tragic loss of life aboard the Russian nuclear submarine Losharik
while it was working on the sea bed in the high north should
encourage her Government to accept that, to maintain operational
military advantage and defend the west and critical subsea cable
infrastructure from interference, we must, in this the 50th year of
our extraordinary continuous at-sea deterrent—Operation
Relentless—invest properly in our Royal Navy and her submarine
capabilities?
The Prime Minister: I am sure that the whole House will want to
extend condolences to the families and friends of those who lost
their lives. This was aboard a Russian nuclear submersible, but
losing one’s life under the sea is something I am sure we can all
express our condolences for.
This is an important point about our submarine capability and the
Royal Navy. I would like to pay tribute to all our submariners,
who work so hard to keep us safe. We are committed to our
submarine build programmes. The Ministry of Defence has been
given access to the £10 billion Dreadnought programme
contingency, so that our submarines will continue to silently
patrol the seas, giving us a nuclear deterrent every minute of
every hour, as they have done for 50 years, and we thank them for
it.
