Carrier fighter jet U-turn cost £74m, says audit office

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A government U-turn over fighter jets for the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers cost taxpayers £74m, says the National Audit Office.

The decision to scrap an order for jump jets, which was later reversed, had been based on "immature data and flawed assumptions", it says in a report.

Labour says the report "lays bare this government's incompetence".

But Defence Secretary Philip Hammond says the U-turn will save money in the long run and is backed by the NAO.

"Not only did it save £1.2bn; it also means that by 2018, we will have fifth-generation stealth jets flying off the new Queen Elizabeth Class carrier," says Mr Hammond.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22472912