The Royal Navy’s operational readiness has plummeted to unprecedented depths, with Ministry of Defence figures revealing that merely half of its 63-vessel fleet remains available for active duty.
According to MoD data, just three of the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 destroyers are currently operational, while only six of eight Type 23 frigates can be deployed.
The situation with Britain’s nuclear submarine capability appears equally stark, with a single Astute class vessel operational out of five in the fleet.
The combined destroyer and frigate total now stands at 14 ships, a figure not seen since the Victorian era.
Lord West, a previous head of the Royal Navy, brought the matter of combat-ready vessels before the MoD through a parliamentary question.
The Falklands War veteran described the operational figures as “a disgrace”.
He expressed scepticism about even the official numbers, stating: “The Ministry of Defence claims that three destroyers are operational, but I suspect that only one of those ships is out there doing the business.”
Lord West added: “The number of operational ships is a disgrace. We are so weak at the moment. No wonder President Trump laughs at us all in Europe.
Royal Navy warship availability has sunk to historically low levels not seen since Queen Victoria’s reign
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“We used to have a bloody powerful Navy and that gave clout and fighting power.”
Lord West went further in his criticism, declaring: “Now the Royal Navy is a bit of a joke, we haven’t even got a full admiral in the Navy, and that’s extraordinary.”
The fleet bears responsibility for safeguarding all 14 of Britain’s overseas territories, spanning the Caribbean, the Falkland Islands and the Indian Ocean.
He warned: “We now have insufficient ships and submarines operating in our economic waters to secure our security.”
Only a single Astute classsubmarine remains operational out of five in the fleet
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Lord West added: “The Government is not grasping this problem.”
“The defence secretary must be pulling his hair out because he can’t get the money from the Treasury to properly defend Britain.”
A MoD spokesman defended the Government’s position, stating: “We are delivering the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, with an extra £5b for defence this financial year alone.”
“As part of that, we are delivering 13 cutting-edge, modern warships for our world-class Royal Navy, and through the groundbreaking Atlantic Bastion programme, we are leading the transformation to a new hybrid navy, exploiting the power and potential of new technologies alongside the traditional capabilities of our ships.
It came as former Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace blasted VAT payments being included in MoD budgets as a ‘complete con’
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“All Royal Navy vessels rotate through planned operating cycles, including routine maintenance, and we continue to operate in accordance with Defence requirements and priorities,” the spokesman added.
The damning criticism of the navy’s readiness comes as GB News lifted the lid on VAT spending at the MoD.
Each year, the MoD shells out billions in payments to the treasury, which are folded into the overall defence budget.
Former Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace blasted the accounting as a “complete con”.
