By STEWART PATERSON

Political Correspondent

THE new Defence Minister has given MPs a commitment that all eight type 26 Frigates will be built on the Clyde.

There had been uncertainty over the future of the contract with so far the contract only for the first three to be built at the Govan and Scotstoun yards.

Fears grew for the remaining five after other ships, the five type 31 ships, originally promised to the Clyde were put out to tender UK wide and yards asked to compete on a commercial basis.

Guto Bebb, appointed Under Secretary of State of Defence in Theresa May’s reshuffle earlier this month however, has told Glasgow MPs that the commitment is clear and the ships will be built in the city.

In a debate in Westminster on the shipbuilding strategy, the minister was asked by Glasgow South West SNP MP, Chris Stephens, if he would confirm the eight Type 26 Frigates will be built on the Clyde.

Mr Bebb replied: “The commitment on the purchase of the eight Type 26s was clear.”

He said: “The commitment in our strategic defence and security review of 2015 and in the recent NSBS is very clear: it is a commitment to eight ships.”

Mr Stephens had earlier told the minister of the growing suspicion in the yards that the government would renege on the previous commitment to build the eight Type 26 ships.

He said: “There is a contract for three Type 26 frigates on the Clyde and I ask the Minister to confirm that the other five will be built there. There is a feeling in the yards and the trade unions that represent the workers that there has been a roll-back on delivering on promises.”

Paul Sweeney, Glasgow North East Labour MP criticised the plan to put the Type 31 ships out to tender across the country adding it would lead to job losses.

He said it was repeating mistakes of the past.

Mr Sweeney said: “That goes right back to the early 1990s with the Type 23 programme, when Swan Hunter was competing with Yarrow shipbuilders on the Clyde.”

Mr Sweeney said that led to an inability to invest in modern facilities, the closure of Swan Hunter and redundancies across the shipbuilding sector.

He added: “This is a recipe to return to that model that was deeply flawed in the 1990s and led ultimately to the loss of British shipbuilding capability.