RMB Chivenor 'Will Continue To Have A Role To Play' Says Defence Minister

Royal Marines Barracks in Chivenor, Devon (Picture: PA)

A Defence Minister has given a strong hint that the government may reverse its plan to close Royal Marine Base (RMB) Chivenor in Devon.

Tobias Ellwood, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, was speaking in a debate on Wednesday, brought forward by Conservative MP for North Devon, Peter Heaton-Jones, on the future of the base.

The People and Veterans Minister said that the base will ‘continue to have a role to play’, with a full announcement due shortly.

"We recognise the benefits of retaining a Royal Marine presence at Chivenor.

"I make it very, very clear that Chivenor will continue to have a role to play."

It was earmarked for closure two years ago as part of the Better Defence Estate strategy, a 3 billion pound set of cost-saving measures by the MOD.

Chivenor has been home to the armed forces since the 1940s.