During his first session in front of the newly-constituted Commons defence select committee, Mr Healey was asked directly about the fate of the carriers - HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales... He warned MPs that the government needed to show realism and honesty about the commitments we can make to allies and we make in committing our own forces.
On Wednesday, he had given a surprise statement in the Commons about 500 million of cuts, including scrapping the Royal Navy's two remaining amphibious assault craft, 31 helicopters (14 Chinooks and 17 Pumas), the watchkeeper drones and a frigate HMS Northumberland.
Defence secretary John Healey has refused to rule out mothballing one of Britain's two aircraft carriers as a result of the strategic defence review being carried out by Sir Keir Starmer's government.
John Healey appears before the defence select committee. He had been discussing the strategic defence review he launched when he took office in July, warning that difficult decisions are still to come.
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