‘Huge’ cost of aircraft carriers meant ‘less scope’ for funding health and education
“Vulnerable” aircraft carriers are about Britain “counting for something in the world” and being an “effective ally” of the US, declassified files show Tony Blair’s treasury secretary Alistair Darling told the prime minister that buying aircraft carriers was a “political” rather than a military choice and would mean less funding for social services.Declassified files from 1998, Blair’s first full year in government, contain deliberations among officials and ministers on Labour’s manifesto commitment to replace Britain’s three aircraft carriers with the two new ones the UK currently possesses.Darling wrote to Blair in June 1998 about the carriers and the aircraft to go…
