Defence secretary Grant Shapps has been torn apart over his promise to build six new ships.Grant Shapps’s latest efforts to promote his government have turned into a bit of a shipwreck, judging from the online reaction.
The defence secretary was on the broadcast round this morning to discuss the “new golden age of British shipbuilding”.
He announced that the UK would be building 28 new ships and submarines for the Royal Navy, including “up to six new warships”.
But eagle-eyed critics on X (formerly Twitter) were quick to notice that Shapps was curiously inconsistent around the details.
For instance, the pledge sounded quite similar to another, relatively recent promise from the Conservatives – Boris Johnson’s famous vow to build up to 40 new hospitals.
Just last year, a review from parliament’s Public Accounts Committee concluded that it had “no confidence” the government would ever deliver on this promise.
Grant Shapps: "We're going to build up to 28 ships... a sort of golden era of shipbuilding."
— Haggis_UK ???????? ???????? (@Haggis_UK) May 14, 2024
This sounds very much like the 40 new hospitals, that the Tories promised in 2019, that have never materialised.#BBCBreakfastpic.twitter.com/KPHtUJgjVU
Grant Shapps and his 'golden era' of new war ship building. Reminds me of Johnson's 40 new hospitals. Laughable ????????
— SarahDaw ???? (@sarahdaw12) May 14, 2024
Even more slippery than an eel, Grant Shapps announces 6 new RN ships to go with the 40 new hospitals. #r4today
— QueryingScouser (@rjcruthers) May 14, 2024
BBC Breakfast interview with aka Grant Shapps. Apparently 27 new ships are being built. When pressed, he's visited one and the rest are in design stage. Didn't ask where those ships were being built either. Sounds like the 40 new hospitals Johnson used to shout about ????#GTTO
— Patty Cakes Part 2 (@Flippineckers) May 14, 2024
People were also completely mystified over exactly how many ships were included in this promise.
Shapps said the government was looking to build 28 ships – but then changed it to “up to 28”.
Many critics also picked up on Shapps’s confusing conflation of the six ships the government promised to build two years ago and his current pledge.
He told journalists that the Tories had the “desire to” build these boats two years ago – but did not have the “means”.
He claimed that now the UK’s defence spending has increased, the government does have the means – and so will finally be following through on this two-year-old pledge.
So...how many is the government actually building? Social media seemed to decide it was anybody’s guess.
After listening to Grant Shapps on Today programme, I am none the wiser as to whether we are building three ships, six ships or 28 ships.
— John Crace (@JohnJCrace) May 14, 2024
Keeping our enemies guessing
to be fair to Grant Shapps & his numeracy skills, he has in the past lost track of how many people he’s been https://t.co/yKIHsveN5p
— Toby Earle ???????? Threads tobyontv (@TobyonTV) May 14, 2024
Are you sure we’re building any?
— Prof Paul Bernal (@PaulbernalUK) May 14, 2024
"Are these [6 new ships] the same ones that the govt pledged to build two years ago?"
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) May 14, 2024
Grant Shapps: "Yes" pic.twitter.com/gmVZY5zd00
Shapps says they had "the desire to" build the ships "but not the means".
— Suzanne Brown (@SParker616) May 14, 2024
We have the desire to kick this disastrous government out but not the means so we can understand your frustration Shapps. #r4today
