Ministers monitoring Type 31 schedule risk with Babcock

The UK Ministry of Defence says it is monitoring Babcock's finances and delivery performance on the five Type 31 Inspiration-class frigates while working with the shipbuilder to manage schedule risks. Responding to a parliamentary question, Defence Minister Luke Pollard declined to disclose the company's cumulative loss on the fixed-price programme, originally contracted for £1.25 billion in 2019. The ships are being assembled at Rosyth, with HMS Venturer already launched and fitting out and four sister ships progressing through construction. The ministry continues to expect the five vessels to enter service by the early 2030s.