What does Britain need them for? We have land-attack cruise missile submarines. We have to do without them for the next 15 years.
They will be something else to spot from the Spinnaker Tower and drum up B&B business for Pompey. It's not about defence but jobs and exporting other warships.

Dennis Wills, Portsmouth, UK

The US lend/leasing 2 or 3 of their navy's 'medium-sized' aircraft carriers to the UK could restore the RN to the viable force it was before Labour's '97 election.

- USS Makin Island (near commissioning)
- USS Iwo Jima (cm'd 2001)

Also would free-up funds for urgently needed ship replacement.

Roderick V. Louis, near Vancouver, Canada

This is all very sad. The British people and the Royal Navy deserve better than this. The Royal Navy were once pioneers of carrier aviation - now it's reduced to time-sharing ships with a continental power like France.

Mike B, Washington, DC, USA

Pigs might fly too.

Marcus, Perth, Australia

Absolutely farcical! Port Watch Brits, Starboard Watch Frogs. The first (stealthy) step towards a European Defence Force.
Mike Barclay PORTSMOUTH (of all places!).

Michael George Barclay, Waterlooville, England

Why not build 4 at the same time.

2 for France 2 for the UK

Main Costs could be shared

The end fitting out could for the UK be in the UK. And for the French in France

Then sell all our old carriers to South America

Nicholas Iles, Oswestry, Shropshire

When will UK Govts finally accept the reality that Britain cannot afford to be a world military power
Nick, St Ouen, Expat in France

Britain certainly CAN afford to be a global power. We have one of the highest GDPs in the world? Try not to let that inbuilt British pessimism drag you down too much

Stephen , Norwich, Norfolk

One of the most successful military aircraft joint projects of all time was the Anglo French Jaguar aircraft that was the backbone of the RAF Strike/Attack capability for many years.There is no reason why a joint carrier project should not be as successful. 3 ships should always allow 2 available!

Jimd, Norwich, uk

Britain and France have been poles apart on just about every foreign policy issue for about a generation. I'd like to see how this one will work, sounds like the chance for a really good hearty laugh!

Brian Roberts , Plymouth, UK

I can see big arguments during design - The english will want forward gears and the french lots of reverse

James, paris,

EU countries can't individually afford navies (armies, airforces) with the capablilities that the EU needs, but which the EU has the know-how to organise. If the solution is an EU Navy (army, airforce) what's the problem? Europe needs to be united or the barbarians will drive us into a new Dark Age.

B. A. Allsopp, Pretoria, South Africa

Another defense spending disaster on the way,
France uses completely different aircraft, and systems , Making it compatible and agreeing what is compatible. seriously this is what costs the money, not the steel. How could you train for this?. This is an attempt to wreck the program,

Hugo Chav, Notingham, UK

The Royal Navy carriers will not be able to operate the French Rafale M aircraft because they won't have catapuilts. The two Royal navy aircraft will operate the F35 Lightning 2 which is short take off and vertical landing and will be lauch via a Ski-ramp, the French are not buying this aircraft.

Kevin, Herts,

When will UK Govts finally accept the reality that Britain cannot afford to be a world military power. Carriers, Trident & Eurofighters are expensive glamorous toys but our troops lack basic equipment, helicopters, & Nimrod is over 40 years old. Stop the fantasy & get real Gordon, Des et al.

Nick, St Ouen, Expat in France

Cancel the olympics and buy back our defence capability.
You buy what you NEED before contemplating what you WANT.
If I ran my life like the Govt run this country, I'd have a holiday in Mauritius this summer and the bailiffs evicting me for Council tax by Autumn

Phill, The Wirral, England

Just one minor point, we in the UK will be operating the JSF jump jet variant of aircraft, the French have no such capability? and therefore would find the use of our carriers pointless unless they bought Jump Jets or our carriers were conventional take off and landing?

john, uk,

So they want us to have more and more people here by attacking abortion and supporting huge families ,but on the other hand they will not fund the ships that will protect our supplies . There is a logic gap here. We can't feed ourselves and what we can do we need oil to do it with.

Craig, Warwick, UK

Again, the government can find £2.7bn to bribe the Crewe and Nuneaton electorate, but evidentially not fully finance the new Royal Navy carriers. Nice to see where it's priorities lie. Disgusting. I can't wait to hear the 'spin' on this one. . . .

John C, London, UK

I had thought that the damage done to the UK by New Labour over eleven years would be mainly economic and that it could be recovered by sensible stewardship of a new government.

Obviously not. They have in fact ruined education, manufacturing and defence as well as the economy.

MarkS, Leeds,

Sharing ships, impossible! The RN chaps'll be rolling around on the floor after hearing this rubbish from some europile at the head of the EDA. This is a blatent ploy by the French to make us pay for a carrier and then have it absorbed into a (French controlled) EU navy. It will never happen.

Tom, Epsom, UK

Remind me, just how much has the government stumped up to support Northern Rock and more recently to try to encourage liquidity in the banking sector? Now they can't find enough for the navy!

Nick Smith, Gosport,

Does this government's stupidity know no bounds? Can anyone really believe that the two forces can shere something like an "aircraft carrier"?
I suggest that we bring the troops home and have a whip round to pay for a new carrier.

Hamad Lone, London, England

Britain must put its national defence ahead of the EU; if we cannot afford to protect our own country, then it is quite obvious we cannot afford the subsidise the rest of the EU....we must get out of the EU with the utmost of haste before it bankrupts this country of ours.

Lloyd, Conwy, UK

Perhaps Britain could use the carriers' on even days, and our French friends on odd days?

Gerallt Huws, Talsarnau, Cymru

Its funny how the government can find £2.7B to buy off a tax rebellion, and waste countless billions on education and health with little gain; superbugs still run rife, but they will not spend what is needed to provide adequate defence, yet thrill at sending our forces into action.

John Lewis, Upminster, UK

Move £2 billion out of the Quango budget (see article in this edition) to satisfy the Navy, and avoid teaming up with the French - leaving £99 billion to waste on useless govt bodies as we do now!! With this suggestion, Brown could probably make me Chancellor - he doesn't have one at the moment!

Paul C, Harlow, England

Vospers in Southampton sold out. The industrial land is now under planning applications for thousands of flats in a multi-story building fiasco and the two carriers will end up being built in France where, like Germany, they value their industrial base more than their financial services sector......

Chris Coles, Medstead, Alton, United Kingdom

This is pitiful . If we want play in the first division of world politics we need to budget adaquately. If we don't lets go and play handball with Switzerland instead.
Britain and France are both wealthy countries who can easily afford these carriers, its alll a matter of priorities.

andy , Lyon, France

An EU navy is the only logical option. Countries like UK and France cannot afford major carriers but Europe is weak and has no stomach for it so we continue with this pretence until we end up sharing one carrier between us!

adrian, London,

Solution extend the life of our carriers until the new ones are ready. I have served on carriers and I never saw a sell by date on any of them. It could be a bit grim if we fell out with the French when it was their turn to drive our carrier dont you think? EU Armed forces amalgamation anyone?

Cromwell, Leeds, England

oh my god, i don't actually believe that this government can stoop any lower. this is now just pathetic

john, londond,

This demostrates - yet again -the priorities of a Labour government. It can easily find £2.7 billion to try to win a by-election but is unable to find a lesser amount to defend the country.
And they wonder why we don't trust or respect them!

Bernard, Edinburgh, Scotland

I hear not just Nelson turning in his grave but the box as well crunching under the pressure. Is this the start of an EU Navy ?

Ian Payne, WALSALL,