A bidding war to build three Royal Navy support ships has been called off, to the delight of UK campaigners.
The Ministry of Defence had shortlisted five firms for the £1.5billion contract, four of which were foreign, raising fears the vessels would be built abroad.
Unions, MPs and the Mirror had pushed for the deal to go to a British shipyard, safeguarding jobs and boosting the economy.
Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions boss Ian Waddell was relieved at the news.
He said: “Halting the competition gives us the chance to treat this as a UK programme. Building the ships would protect tens of thousands of skilled jobs.”
GMB general secretary Tim Roache added: “We will continue to keep up the pressure until these ships are being built in our yards.”
Royal Navy warships must be UK-built for security reasons. But the Government claims the Fleet Solid Support vessels, which will supply destroyers, frigates and aircraft carriers, are not warships.
The MoD said: “The competition has been stopped, as it is clear the current approach will not deliver the requirement.”
Firms from Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea and a UK consortium were in the running for the deal.
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