UK May Share Aircraft Carriers With France

The Times said the proposal could be outlined by David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy at a summit in November and would allow British and French flagships to pool resources.

The move would ensure one of three ships - two British and one French - would always be on duty at sea, with each carrier remaining under its domestic command.

It could pave the way for the Government to downgrade or even scrap one of its two replacement carriers, being constructed for the Royal Navy for £5.2bn.

Currently Britain's two aging vessels - HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious - are sometimes both in dock at the same time.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence told Sky News: "The Defence Secretary has made clear that tough decisions will need to be made but the complex process of a Strategic Defence and Security Review will be concluded in the autumn.

"Speculation at this stage about its outcome is entirely unfounded."

But a source said ideas for all sorts of co-operation would have been "on the table" when Defence Secretary Liam Fox visited Paris for talks with his French counterparts on Friday and did not exclude the possibility of the aircraft carriers being discussed.

The Times said special protocols would be drawn up to make clear what should happen if a British interest such as the Falkland Islands comes under threat when the French are in charge.

It quoted a Whitehall source as saying: "Liam has made it clear that we want more co-operation as we have to face up to the world we are living in.

"The advantage is that if we are going to have one carrier, then at least we can project our power on the sea even if we go down to a single carrier."

However, critics have questioned the viability of such a partnership.

Gwyn Prins, a research professor at the London School of Economics, told The Times: "At first glance it may seem sensible to pool aircraft carriers with the French.

"But a moment's reflection in the light of past history and of modern geopolitics shows why that is unwise."