Labour ordered two oversized aircraft carriers which have been beset by problems, the Evening Standard has been told.
The two huge ships are said to be unnecessarily large for the needs of the Navy. There is even talk in military circles that the Labour government’s decision to go for the vast new vessels may have been influenced by a desire for them to be bigger than French carriers.
The 65,000-ton HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales will be 280 metres long, a third bigger than predecessors, and the length of 18 London buses.
The claims from a senior military source about the size of the new aircraft carriers emerged as the Government faces having to do a U-turn on the planes which will fly off them.
Military chiefs are advising David Cameron to ditch plans for F-35C Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, which were recommended in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, and instead go for the F-35B version which can take off and land like the Harrier jump jet.
The move would be deeply embarrassing for the Government but military top brass are recommending it after the expected cost of converting the carriers for the proposed planes is estimated to have spiralled by hundreds of millions. There are also fears that progressing with the current plans could delay the carrier programme by seven years, to 2027.
A defence source stressed the switch in aircraft would be the “practical option”, and a Ministry of Defence spokesman said an announcement was expected before Easter.
A Labour defence spokesman said: “The Government have a confused policy on the Joint Strike Fighter which could waste millions.”
