Navy sources said funding problems jeopardised the future of Britain’s second aircraft carrier, Daily Mail reports.
Senior figures have expressed their views after it was revealed that next week’s budget will not include a significant increase in defence spending.
They suggest that HMS Prince of Wales, which cost £3.5bn to build, could be mothballed or sold at an undervalued price to a friendly country rather than the fleet flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth. This possible move, dubbed the “HS2 moment” for the Royal Navy, is likely to be the cause of much controversy.
If defence finances do not improve, commanders will be forced to make such a decision in 2028.
A naval source told the Mail last night that the nightmare scenario of selling the aircraft carrier to free up funds had been discussed by members of the Naval Enterprise Planning Group, which looks at future considerations and strategies. He said:
“There’s an awareness in the group that the Navy is struggling to maintain operational commitments and has to expand the fleet as rapidly as possible. The second carrier is an asset that is held in reserve and is a very expensive piece of rarely-used equipment. So if we want to address balance sheet issues, disposing of her or sharing her with say an AUKUS [Australia, UK and US] ally, is an option.”
Officials said last night that while the Navy remained committed to both aircraft carriers, “changes in government and the budget” could change that assessment. Ministers have reported to senior commanders that they must “spend better” to persuade the Treasury to increase investment.
Former Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt held an emergency meeting with Jeremy Hunt yesterday to discuss the Budget. Mrs. Mordaunt, MP for Portsmouth North, home to the Royal Navy’s largest base, wrote online:
“Met the Chancellor to reiterate what Portsmouth’s families and businesses need to hear in the Budget. Our first duty is to protect our nation and its interests.”
Another former defence minister, Ben Wallace, told the Mail newspaper that the UK had effectively “lied” to Nato over the past 20 years about its capabilities.
Retired Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharpe said:
“If I was a carrier-sceptic, and there are plenty, I would be gunning for one of them right now. It does not help their cause that when a near-perfect opportunity to use a carrier presented itself in the Red Sea, we didn’t take it for political reasons. We must recognise the threat to the second carrier, that is the unpleasant reality; the nuclear deterrent is the UK’s only ring-fenced capability.”
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown approved the construction of aircraft carriers in 2007. As part of cost-cutting, one of the aircraft carriers was almost scrapped before it sailed. But ministers found out it would cost more to scrap it.
The cost of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth together totalled £7bn. It is now widely recognised that the UK will not be able to adequately defend or operate them on its own. To support the aircraft carriers, the service has only one ship with a solid inventory, RFA Fort Victoria, which is due to be decommissioned in 2028.
The 65,000-tonne Behemoths and their strike groups have previously relied on the protection of allies including the Netherlands and the US. Nearly 700 crew members are required to operate one ship, a heavy strain on personnel at a time of recruitment and retention problems.
Navy sources have described the possible move as an “HS2 moment” – similar to Rishi Sunak’s decision to abandon part of the high-speed rail project between London and the North.
Last night, Mr. Wallace said:
“For the last 20 years the UK’s Armed Forces have not been able to deliver to Nato what they have claimed. Either we fund the Armed Forces properly or future prime ministers need to admit to the public that they want Britain to be a follower not a leader on the world stage.”
A Royal Navy spokesman noted:
“These claims are categorically incorrect, we are fully committed to operating both HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.”
Meanwhile, 58-year-old Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Britain’s most senior officer, has postponed his retirement to continue advising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Chief of Defence Staff was due to retire in November 2024.
