Support HMS Wolverhampton

9.17.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 7th Jul 2008

A petition has been set up at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/HMSWolverhampton/ to try and get a ship named HMS Wolverhampton - Wolverhampton is the largest city never to have had this honour (and only one of 5 cities in the UK not to have had the honour). Colin Ross, Chair of Wolverhampton South West Liberal Democrats said "This campaign has my full support, I have already signed the petition and tried to bring the issue up at BBC's Question Time when it was recently filmed in the city."

The petition reads:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to support the naming of one of her Majesty's new ships HMS Wolverhampton at the earliest opportunity One of the greatest forms of civic pride that a town or city can possess is to have one of Her Majesty's ships being named after it. Throughout British Naval history every major British town or city has received this honour, except the historic and important city of Wolverhampton. Of all the current 66 cities in the United Kingdom only five cities have never had the honour and, in addition to Wolverhampton, include the Northern Irish cities of Armagh, Lisburn and Newry and the English cathedral city of Ely. We implore the "Ships' Names and Badges Committee" (SNBC) to recommend HMS Wolverhampton as a name for a suitable ship at the earliest opportunity.