Humiliation as Britain’s aircraft carrier may need French protection | UK | News
The potential deployment of a British aircraft carrier could require the escort of French warships. Crews aboard HMS Prince of Wales have been given five days to take action as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East.
However, the Royal Navy’s dire situation, with several key frigates and destroyers under maintenance, means the UK may struggle to provide a covering group for the carrier if it is destroyed. Typically, a carrier escort group consists of two to three destroyers or frigates and one attack submarine. The Royal Navy has six destroyers, but only HMS Dragon is believed to be operationally ready and is expected to be deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean following an Iranian-backed attack on RAF Akrotiri. Of the Navy’s seven frigates, only HMS Somerset and HMS St Albans are thought to be operational.
The rest are either in maintenance or dealing with technical glitches.
Shadow defense secretary James Cartlidge said: Telegram: “Labour’s talk of making an aircraft carrier more readily available distracts from the real question: Why didn’t Starmer plan properly and move naval assets weeks ago, when a major US operation was clearly looming?
“The reality is that Labor has prioritized welfare over defence, and the underfunded Ministry of Defense has been forced to cut £2.6bn this year.
“That’s why there are no Royal Navy warships in the Middle East, and even if an aircraft carrier were deployed, serious questions would arise about escort ships.”
The protection of HMS Prince of Wales may be partly provided by HMS Duncan, but this is likely to be dependent on assistance from warships provided by France and other European allies.
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Last week Western officials told the Daily Express that HMS Duncan was not deployed to the Mediterranean sooner because of the need to protect the high north, underlining competing priorities for defense officials.
The inability to counter all the threats the country faces has led to increased calls for more spending on defence.
Last week’s Spring Budget contained few details of the government’s vague plans to increase defense spending, with greater attention to the country’s ballooning welfare bill.
According to a new analysis from the Center for Social Justice (CSJ), welfare is currently set to rise by £18bn in a single year; This is enough to fund 15 advanced Royal Navy frigates, 220 fighter jets or 250,000 soldiers.
Lord Dannatt, a former commander of the British Army, warned: “The explosion of the welfare budget at the expense of proper investment in our defense is endangering the very existence of our country.”
