The First Sea Lord does not agree with the anti Nimrod lobby - see
here.
Now the new British First Sea Lord reveals that the RAF cuts will have a big effect on the Navy. Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope spoke to Warships International Fleet Review magazine. “Let us be clear about the importance of those RAF cuts in terms of maritime impact,” Stanhope said. He explained that the Nimrod force had provided top cover for the Navy’s ballistic-missile submarines, presumably during transit in and out of port.
Now the Navy will have to take up that task with its Merlin helicopters and frigates equipped with the new Sonar 2087. “It means those frigates we have with Sonar 2087 … may not be deployed to the Gulf or the South Atlantic,” Stanhope pointed out. The loss of the Nimrods effectively also means the loss of at least one deployable frigate.