A WIRRAL MP has welcomed news that another Mersey ferry is to be built but has warned against off-shoring the work abroad after unions claimed only parts of the new boat will be built in Birkenhead.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced this morning that a new Mersey ferry will be built alongside extensive upgrades to one of the existing vessels also confirmed.

The new ferry would be a collaboration between Cammell Laird and the Dutch-based Damen Group, but the contract award is still subject to final negotiations.

Mick Whitley reiterated his call for a cast-iron guarantee that the boat will be built in its entirety in Wirral.

Mr Whitley said that further clarity surrounding Damen's involvement was needed and added that "with Cammell Laird’s proud tradition of shipbuilding, Merseyside is well-placed to deliver the new ferry to the very highest quality. From start to finish, this boat must be built in Birkenhead".

Alongside the trade unions Unite and GMB, Mr Whitley has led calls for the new ferry to be built in its entirety in Birkenhead but said that Damen’s involvement was an example of how local leaders' "hands are tied" by onerous procurement laws imposed by Whitehall.

In the UK, public bodies are governed by strict procurement rules which are supposed to ensure value for money, but which campaigners and trade unions blame for contracts being sent abroad. The Birkenhead MP said that the laws were in “desperate need of an overhaul” and claimed that they fail to adequately take into account the social value of building in Britain.

Speaking to Wirral Globe, Mr Whitley said: "building in Britain just makes sense: it creates jobs, drives economic growth, and ensures that public money gets spent in local economies – rather than hoarded away in offshore bank accounts.

"And it represents far better value for the taxpayer, with much of the total spend being returned to the public purse through direct and indirect taxation."

The Birkenhead MP said that workers at Cammell Laird deserved "far better" than having work on the new Mersey Ferry 'offshored' abroad and called for local authorities and Metro Mayors to have greater autonomy in making procurement decisions to support local businesses and promote economic growth.

The MP is now looking to secure a debate in Parliament calling for major reform of public procurement law.

Unite, the UK's leading union, has described a decision by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to grant much of the work to build a new Mersey ferry to an overseas shipyard as a complete betrayal of the local Cammell Laird workforce.

Unite claim that despite the UK leaving the European Union, government rules forced the work to be tendered across Europe.

They say work to build a brand new ferry has been awarded to the Daman shipyard in the Netherlands.

And it claims the Cammell Laird shipyard will only undertake refurbishment of one of the existing ferries and complete some final work on the new ship.

The work has been awarded to Daman despite the Cammell Laird shipyard being able to fully undertake it.

Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: "This is a complete betrayal of a local and highly skilled workforce, it defies belief that a new Mersey ferry won’t be built on the river the ship will serve.

"This is a wholesale failure of the government's procurement policy, which continues to undermine strategic British industries and threatens jobs and skills."

Cammell Laird currently employs 693 workers and there has been a significant commitment in recent years to train apprentices and increase skills at the shipyard.

If Cammell Laird had been awarded the contract to build the new ferry it would have secured 120 jobs at the yard for a 12-18 month period.

Unite regional officer Ross Quinn said: "Workers at Cammell Laird are today angry and frustrated. Once again they are being forced to pick up the scraps.

"They clearly understand the value of employing people to recycle the investment in the community where the ferry will operate and taxpayers money has come from as opposed to sending up to £15 million abroad.

"The workers want the government to explain how they can let this happen at a time when we’re told every penny is a prisoner"

In a joint statement, Mayor Rotheram and six council leaders of the Liverpool City Region, said: "There has been a ferry between Liverpool and the Wirral since at least the 12th century and this announcement ensures that this proud tradition will continue for decades to come. 

"As city region leaders we have tried at every turn to ensure that we use the powers we do have to squeeze as much local value, investment and opportunity as possible for the city region economy when we procure major infrastructure projects, in line with our Social Value Framework.

"We understand Unite's frustrations with the government's restrictive procurement laws which constrain the way public bodies are able to tender for projects such as the Mersey Ferries and other large scale infrastructure investments. Especially given the government’s promises about procurement during the Brexit referendum.

"As public servants, we have a duty to ensure that we spend taxpayers’ money in a way that delivers the best possible outcomes for local businesses, residents and communities alike, and that is why we have worked hard with Cammell Laird and the relevant unions to get to this point.

"The contract being discussed here is one between the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Cammell Laird. It is for the shipbuilder to decide how and where it subcontracts out work. We are explicitly restricted by legislation from specifying that 100% of any works have to be built in any specific locality. Instead, these conversations are a matter for unions and management to resolve through their own discussions.

"The reality of the situation is that, as a Combined Authority, we are legally bound to comply with the laws of the land. It is not within our power to override or break procurement law and dictate how businesses should proceed with the contracts awarded. To do so would leave us open to potential legal action, the costs of which would need to be borne by the public purse.

"The current boats are older than the Gerry Marsden song that made them famous. It is good news today that the proud legacy of the ferry cross the Mersey has not only been preserved for generations to come but made fit for the future with this brand new, greener lower emissions vessel."