Navy submarine name change is woke nonsense, says Shapps

The Royal Navy has announced it is changing the name of a new submarine from HMS Agincourt to HMS Achilles, in a move branded "woke nonsense" by former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps.

It follows reports of concern within the Ministry of Defence that the original name for the vessel - which is being built in Barrow, Cumbria - may have offended the French.

Agincourt refers to a battle England won against France in 1415, as part of the Hundred Years' War.

On Sunday, the Royal Navy said the submarine would instead be named HMS Achilles and that the change had been under discussion for more than a year.

A spokesperson said Achilles was particularly appropriate as the world prepares to mark the 80th anniversaries of Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan days - both of which take place this year.

A previous vessel named HMS Achilles received battle honours during World War Two. Another ship with the name took part in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, when the Royal Navy defeated a French and Spanish fleet.

Gavin Williamson, a Conservative former defence secretary, first announced the name Agincourt in 2018 for the under-construction vessel, the seventh of the Astute Class submarines to be commissioned. There had previously been suggestions it could be named Ajax.

A Navy statement said the name change had been under discussion for more than a year and "was proposed by the Royal Navy Ships Names and Badging committee and approved by His Majesty the King".

But the switch has caused controversy, not least because the announcement came shortly before the Sun newspaper was due to publish a story on internal debates over its planned name.

In a post on X, Shapps said "renaming HMS Agincourt is nothing short of sacrilege". He said the original name signified a defining moment in British history.

"Under Labour, woke nonsense is being put ahead of tradition and our Armed Forces' proud heritage," the former Conservative MP said.

There has been no public comment from French authorities.

Changing the name of Royal Navy vessels is relatively rare but not without precedent.

In 1939, a Royal Navy corvette due to be named HMS Pansy became HMS Heartsease just before it was launched.

All of the Navy's Astute Class submarines bear a name beginning with the letter A: HMS Astute, Ambush, Artful, Audacious and Anson are all in active service.

Alongside HMS Achilles, HMS Agamemnon is also under construction.