HMS Albion on Exercise Aurora in Sweden (Picture: Royal Navy)

Navy

MPs demand answers on HMS Albion and Bulwark as Shapps plans 'enhanced' Royal Marines

The Defence Secretary has denied reports he is set to ask the Royal Marines to justify their existence, after telling MPs they are "absolutely essential".

Grant Shapps told MPs earlier this week how important the Royal Marines are to the UK military, adding that he had commissioned a plan from the head of the Royal Navy on the future of the service.

Now, Mr Shapps says this plan will focus on how "their work and capabilities can be bolstered and enhanced to protect Britain from a world that is growing more dangerous".

In a post on X, Mr Shapps said reports in the Daily Mail claiming he was to demand a performance review of the Royal Marines and ask the service's bosses to "justify their experience" were "completely and utterly false".

In what has been a week focused around Royal Navy news, the Defence Select Committee also announced it intended to hold an evidence session in the coming weeks on reports Mr Shapps is considering axing HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark.

Earlier this week, Defence Procurement Minister James Cartlidge said no final decision had been made on whether or not to 'mothball' the two ships.

News reports had suggested HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark could be retired to free up sailors for other vessels amid a Royal Navy recruitment crisis.

Watch: What makes HMS Albion and Bulwark special?

The two vessels are amphibious Landing Platform Docks, designed to transport Royal Marines.

They were expected to remain in service until 2034, with a 2018 report titled Sunset for the Royal Marines from the previous committee warning that the disposal of Albion and Bulwark would be "militarily illiterate" and "totally at odds with strategic reality".

MP John Spellar, vice-chair of the Defence Select Committee, said the Royal Marines are "rightly viewed as a jewel in the defence crown" and are "pivotal" to the UK defending interests around the world.

"But they cannot do that without the right equipment and transport," he said.

"The Defence Committee is deeply concerned by reports that the Government is considering retiring HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, which the Royal Marines rely on.

"We first raised the alarm on the damaging consequences this would have for the Royal Marines back in 2018.

"Losing these ships would make successful amphibious landings very difficult, and touted alternatives are unlikely to fill the hole Albion and Bulwark would leave."

He added the committee's plans for an evidence session is "to hold the Government to account on its plans for the Royal Marines' capabilities".