Aircraft carrier's deployment to China shows its 'immense capabilities', former first sea lord says

The deployment of the UK's aircraft carrier to the Far East shows the ship's "immense capabilities", the former first sea lord has said, as he denied a claim by Dominic Cummings that they are "a farce” that wastes money.

In a letter to The Telegraph, Admiral Lord West of Spithead, said that former comments made by Boris Johnson’s chief adviser, where he described “the farce of the UK aircraft carrier” as something that “continued to squander billions of pounds”, suggested he had failed to look “in detail” at the carrier strike force.

“When Mr Cummings looks into the detail of defence capability he will realise what global reach a carrier battle gives you and he'll realise their immense capability,” Lord West told the Telegraph.

In his letter he writes that the “carriers are already capable of conducting humanitarian operations and those at lower levels of intensity”.

He added that, contrary to Mr Cummings' claim that a carrier "cannot be sent to a serious war against a serious enemy", the ship was in fact, “with our deterrent and nuclear attack submarines the only UK defence capabilities that can ‘take part in a serious war with a serious enemy’.”

“God forbid we should have a major war but possession of this capability makes it less likely,” he said.

Lord West’s comments come after reports that the Ministry of Defence plans to base its £3bn aircraft carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, in the Far East.

The Telegraph understands that Admiral Tony Radakin, the First Sea Lord, received a “slap on the wrists” after the potential plans were made public by The Times.

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A Defence source said that “there are individuals in the services who think the way to achieve what they want from the Integrated Review is by briefing the press; they are wrong.”

Lord West added that deploying the carrier to the Far East “shows a UK commitment to the region and shows we are concerned about what is happening in the South China sea and Xi Jinping and what they've done in Hong Kong with one the country, two systems”.

“Our deploying a ship there shows we find it extremely worrying. We don't want wars, we want stability and if you aren't stable you have wars by mistake.”