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| Philip Hammond on next generation of nuclear submarines | Philip Hammond on next generation of nuclear submarines |
| (5 days later) | |
| Article written by Martyn Oates Political editor, South West | |
| Defence Secretary Philip Hammond's visit to Devonport Naval Base gave me the opportunity to quiz him on a range of naval matters. | Defence Secretary Philip Hammond's visit to Devonport Naval Base gave me the opportunity to quiz him on a range of naval matters. |
| He was there to announce the £350 million contract for Babcock to refit the Vanguard Class submarine, HMS Vengeance. | He was there to announce the £350 million contract for Babcock to refit the Vanguard Class submarine, HMS Vengeance. |
| The contract - and the 2,000 jobs the MOD says it will secure over the next three and a half years - will, of course, be very welcome. | The contract - and the 2,000 jobs the MOD says it will secure over the next three and a half years - will, of course, be very welcome. |
| But Devonport, understandably, always has at least one eye on the future. | But Devonport, understandably, always has at least one eye on the future. |
| With this in mind I asked Mr Hammond about the next generation of nuclear submarines (the Vanguard Class have had their lives extended but are still on the way out), Devonport's future as a "deep maintenance" centre and whether the two new aircraft carriers will definitely be built and what kind of planes will fly from them. | With this in mind I asked Mr Hammond about the next generation of nuclear submarines (the Vanguard Class have had their lives extended but are still on the way out), Devonport's future as a "deep maintenance" centre and whether the two new aircraft carriers will definitely be built and what kind of planes will fly from them. |
| Hat-doffing | Hat-doffing |
| You'll notice that, as our waterside chat proceeded, I was sporting a hard hat. | You'll notice that, as our waterside chat proceeded, I was sporting a hard hat. |
| This was a safety precaution enjoined on me by the naval authorities rather than a voluntary attempt to cut a dash among my colleagues or in front of the camera. | This was a safety precaution enjoined on me by the naval authorities rather than a voluntary attempt to cut a dash among my colleagues or in front of the camera. |
| Everybody else was dutifully wearing the same headgear. | Everybody else was dutifully wearing the same headgear. |
| Everybody that is except Mr Hammond and constituency MP Oliver Colvile, whom you can glimpse behind me during the interview and who appeared to take Mr Hammond's hat-doffing as the cue to bare his own head. | Everybody that is except Mr Hammond and constituency MP Oliver Colvile, whom you can glimpse behind me during the interview and who appeared to take Mr Hammond's hat-doffing as the cue to bare his own head. |
| Mr Colvile later explained that he and the Secretary of State had asked - and received - specific permission from Babcock to remove their hats when they finished their tour of the submarine itself. | Mr Colvile later explained that he and the Secretary of State had asked - and received - specific permission from Babcock to remove their hats when they finished their tour of the submarine itself. |
| This, though, seems at variance with the navy's policy of issuing absolutely everybody else with hard hats even if - like me - they were merely standing on the quayside. | This, though, seems at variance with the navy's policy of issuing absolutely everybody else with hard hats even if - like me - they were merely standing on the quayside. |
| Here's what the Defence Secretary had to say about some of the biggest issues facing the Navy (after discarding that irksome titfer): | Here's what the Defence Secretary had to say about some of the biggest issues facing the Navy (after discarding that irksome titfer): |