A ROYAL Navy aircraft carrier arrived on the River Clyde on Friday to load up on ammunition and supplies.
The HMS Prince of Wales is visiting Glenmallan in Scotland for a routine logistics visit, closing the A814 between Whistlefield and Arrochar in the process.
Following the resupply, the 65,000-tonne warship is scheduled to be deployed to the Indo-Pacific according to Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Defence, Luke Pollard.
HMS Prince of Wales will lead the UK Carrier Strike Group in a series of operations and exercises, including a port visit by the Royal Navy to Japan. The mission is designed to enhance defence relationships and demonstrate UK commitments to the region.
The Labour Government confirmed that the HMS Prince of Wales will lead the Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group in Indo-Pacific region, reaffirming plans laid out under the previous Conservative Government.
There has also been recent fears that the HMS Prince of Wales could be sold for a knockdown price as soon as 2028 in what has been branded a "HS2 moment".
The resupply comes amid the UK Government taking several steps to up its defence. Most recently the Labour Government pledged to cut international aid to 0.3% of gross national income – or around £6 billion per year – to fund an increase in defence spending.
This week over 100 Labour MPs and peers called on British financial institutions to class UK defence investments as ethical to boost support for Ukraine.
In an open letter on Thursday, the group called for a “rethink” on environmental, social and governance investment requirements that often exclude defence firms as “unethical”.
Labour MP Alex Baker co-ordinated the letter addressed to Britain’s banks and fund managers, with signatories including former Royal Navy chief admiral Lord Alan West, former Nato secretary general Lord George Robertson and chairman of the Commons Defence Committee Tan Dhesi.
The UK Government will also provide Ukraine’s armed forces with advanced attack drones, the Ministry of Defence has announced after it signed a deal with an Anglo-American defence company.
