THERESA May has been invited to explain to Rosyth shipyard workers "why she has denied them work" when hundreds are being made redundant.

Dunfermline and West Fife MP Douglas Chapman also challenged her during Prime Minister's Questions to "do the right thing" over £1 billion shipbuilding contracts.

He has called the decision to put the contracts out to international tender, potentially denying Rosyth and other Scottish yards of the work, a "Tory betrayal".

In the House of Commons today, Mr Chapman said: "You will be aware that in my constituency we are putting the finishing touches to our second aircraft carrier – HMS Prince of Wales.

"But as we near the end of that contract, over 400 people in the Rosyth yard are now facing redundancy, with more job losses in the pipeline.

"Will she visit Dunfermline and West Fife without delay to explain to the Rosyth workforce, face to face, why her government intends to award a £1bn shipbuilding contract to yards outwith these islands, killing off the much vaunted UK Shipbuilding Strategy, and the talents and ambitions of a skilled workforce, all in one Tory government swoop?

"Prime Minister it’s time to do the right thing!”

Mrs May responded: "What we're doing through the national shipbuilding strategy is focusing on giving the Royal Navy the ships it needs while increasing economic growth across the country and investing in a more skilled workforce, so we're encouraging a more competitive industry in shipbuilding.

"I think he may have been referring to the future support ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary being procured through international competition and that's three ships built in the fleet solid support programme.

"They will be subject to international competition to secure the best possible value for money for the UK taxpayer.

"What we're doing through the national shipbuilding strategy is ensuring we develop our shipbuilding capability so we can give shipyards the skills and expertise necessary to engage in that particular programme."