BAE Systems to consolidate naval operations in Glasgow, Scotland PORTSMOUTH, England, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- BAE Systems said Wednesday it will close its Portsmouth, England, shipbuilding operations next year, bringing an end to a 500-year tradition. BAE said it will cut nearly 1,800 jobs from its maritime-naval ships business, IHS Jane's Defense Weekly reported. A total of 940 employees at the Portsmouth shipyard are expected to be out of work by the end of 2014, with another 835 jobs to be slashed at BAE operations in Filton, England, and Glasgow and Rosyth, Scotland, through 2016. The company said it will consolidate its shipbuilding operations in Glasgow as part of a restructuring taking place in conjunction with an agreement reached with Britain's Defense Ministry, Jane's said. To soften the economic blow to Portsmouth, Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said more than $160 million would be invested in the Royal Navy base in the city, which is the home port for the carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, The Guardian reported. Hammond said BAE's decision was "regrettable but inevitable," given projected levels of spending on naval vessels. Several members of Parliament leveled charges that the government sacrificed the Portsmouth shipyards to keep Scottish voters mollified heading into Scotland's independence referendum next year. MP Mike Hancock of Portsmouth South said his constituents were paying a "very heavy price for a slightly cynical maneuver." MP John Denham of Southampton Itchen said southern England was "sold downriver while the government looks elsewhere," The Guardian said.