Defense Secretary John Healey He refused to rule out the possibility of scrapping one of Britain’s two aircraft carriers as a result of a strategic defense review carried out by Sir Keir Starmer’s government.

At his first hearing before the newly formed House of Commons defense select committee, Mr Healey was asked directly about the fate of: carriers – HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales – by Labor MP Emma Lewell-Buck.

Mr Healey discussing the matter strategic defense review When he took office in July, he warned MPs that the government must “show realism and honesty in committing our own forces and those we can give to allies”.

He had made a surprise announcement in the House of Commons on Wednesday of nearly £500 million in cuts, including the scrapping of the Royal Navy’s two remaining amphibious assault ships, 31 helicopters (14 Chinooks and 17 Pumas), sentry drones and the frigate HMS Northumberland.

But he was clear that the cuts “will not be the last difficult decisions I will have to make.”

When she appeared before the committee with rumors about the fate of one of the two aircraft carriers, Ms Lewell-Buck asked: “Can you put an end to the rumors about our ships? Are they safe or will someone be put on the shelf?”

Mr Healey made clear that the fate of the two aircraft carriers was being considered in the strategic defense review.

He said: “There are some really important capabilities that we have across the board. The strategic defense review looks at everything from a broad perspective.”

He added: “I certainly don’t want you to think that any part of the program we have now is in danger. “This is not a danger, it is a matter of investigation.”

He had previously told the Defense Committee: “This is a serious moment when I appear before the committee. Defense intelligence will reveal today that the front line is less stable than at any time since the early days of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.”

“In recent weeks we have seen a very clear escalation by Putin and his forces. They have stepped up attacks on the energy system in Ukraine ahead of winter, they have stepped up attacks on civilian centers where children have been killed, they have deployed at least 10,000 North Korean troops to the war front.

“Today there are unconfirmed reports in the media that Russia has launched a new ballistic missile into Ukraine, which we know has been preparing for months.

“While Ukraine’s actions on the battlefield speak for themselves, rest assured that the UK government has increased our support for Ukraine, determined to continue doubling down on our support for Ukraine.

“I told this to (Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustam) Umerov in a long meeting on Tuesday. I also discussed this with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday.”

The committee’s Labor chairman, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, pressed him on a timeline for defense spending to reach 2.5 per cent of GDP, but he refused to commit to a date.

Mr. Dhesi warned him that “authoritarian countries like Russia and North Korea” were already at war over spending.

Mr Healey noted commitments to reach 2.5 per cent in the budget but said MPs should first wait for the strategic defense review to be published next year.