The Daily Mail on February 29 quoted senior naval sources as revealing that Britain's second aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, is at risk of being scrapped after it was revealed that the budget expected to be announced next week will not include an increase in the military budget.
Sources told the Daily Mail that HMS Prince of Wales could be sold to an allied nation in 2028, amid efforts to retain the UK's flagship, the first aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales
However, a Royal Navy spokesman said: "These claims are completely inaccurate. We are fully committed to operating both HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales."
The two carriers were both approved in 2007 at a total cost of £7 billion. However, concerns have grown in recent years about Britain’s ability to staff the 65,000-tonne carriers, each of which requires 700 crew and a support ship to operate.
The Royal Navy currently has only one such support ship in its fleet, RFA Fort Victoria, which is due to be decommissioned in 2028.
Major milestone after maiden voyage of British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth
Former UK defence secretary Ben Wallace told the Daily Mail the government must fully fund the Armed Forces or risk becoming a “follower rather than a leader on the world stage”. Mr Wallace also said the UK had failed to pay its promised NATO contributions over the past 20 years.
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