SHADOW Chancellor Gordon Brown yesterday called on the Government to
publish an internal Ministry of Defence report which, he claims, argues
the case for keeping open the Rosyth naval dockyard.
Launching what he described as an all-Scotland campaign to save the
closure-threatened yard, he urged Ministers to disclose the contents of
the ''Pulvertaft Report,'' which is understood to have been drawn up by
a former senior Naval official and submitted earlier this year.
Mr Brown, MP for Dunfermline East, said at a Westminster news
conference yesterday that he believed the report clearly showed the
security reasons why the Navy should not become dependent on only one
monopoly dockyard.
In addition, he claimed, it: * Set out the investment reasons why the
#200m already spent preparing Rosyth for Trident submarines should not
be wasted.
* Paid tribute to Rosyth's efficiency.
* Gave the economic reasons why thousands of jobs should not be lost
in an area of high and increasing unemployment.
As part of the campaign being led by the MP, meetings are being sought
with Scottish Secretary Ian Lang, Defence Secretary Malcolm Rifkind and,
if necessary, the Prime Minister.
A petition from Rosyth will be submitted to Parliament and there will
be a mass lobby at Westminster within the next few weeks.
Mr Brown claimed yesterday that, for years, Ministers had promised
Rosyth work which now was at risk of being removed.
He quoted Norman Lamont when a Defence Minister in 1985 as saying:
''Many millions of pounds have been spent and this, with the guaranteed
work of the Trident refit programme which involves an even greater
investment, means that Rosyth can look forward with high hopes.
''Much has already begun but more will be done to complete the
building of the massive facilities required to support the Trident
submarines which will be refitted at Rosyth.''
With the possible closure of the yard being, apparently, Treasury-led,
Mr Brown accused the Government of betrayal and added:
''It would be quite wrong if the Minister who made those promises now
instigated Rosyth's closure.
''Our aim is not to close Devonport but to keep Rosyth and Devonport
open. The campaign will now be stepped up and I challenge Ian Lang to
offer public support.''
Mr Jack Dromey, Transport and General Workers' Union national
secretary and a leading negotiator on the dockyards' issue, said: ''We
have discovered from within the MoD that the review of refit capacity
has
taken a dangerous and narrow turn.
The review now is being conducted with little regard to a proper
industrial strategy -- the approach is very much market-led.'
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