Britain's aircraft carrier may need 'French escort' if deployed to Middle East
The warship could join HMS Dragon which is set to leave Portsmouth for the Middle East next week
The British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales may need to be escorted by a French warship if it is deployed to the Middle East, according to reports.
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Crew members for the flagship vessel have been told they must be ready to deploy in five days ahead of a possible Middle East mission.
However, as the majority of Royal Navy’s major warships remain unavailable or are undergoing maintenance, protection would probably need to be provided by allies such as France, the US and other European allies, The Telegraph reports.
Usually, a carrier escort group includes two to three destroyers or frigates and an attack submarine.
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The MoD has confirmed that no decision has yet been taken to deploy the £6 billion carrier, one of only two belonging to the UK.
LBC understands the crews have been alerted to a potential deployment to the Middle East.
If the green light is given, the warship would require an escort from other vessels and a submarine, and would join HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer, which is set to leave Portsmouth for the Middle East next week.
Britain also has six attack submarines, but only HMS Anson is active and she is deployed in Australia.
James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, said: "The truth is Labour have prioritised welfare over defence, leaving an under-funded Ministry of Defence forced to make £2.6bn in cuts this year.
"That’s why there are no Royal Navy warships in the Middle East and why even if a carrier were deployed, there would be serious questions about escort ships."
Of the fleet’s seven warships, only HMS Somerset and HMS St Albans are understood to be available. The rest are undergoing maintenance or struggling with defects, according to The Telegraph.
It comes as the Prime Minister spoke to Donald Trump on Sunday where the two leaders spoke after the President told his counterpart that "we don't need people that join wars after we've already won" in a message on his Truth Social account.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the pair discussed the situation in the Middle East and the military cooperation between the UK and the US.