Prime minister Boris Johnson due to visit Portsmouth to see HMS Queen Elizabeth

PRIME minister Boris Johnson is due to visit Portsmouth today to wish good luck to the crew of HMS Queen Elizabeth ahead of the aircraft carrier’s maiden deployment.
By Tom Cotterill
Published 21st May 2021, 10:15 BST
Updated 21st May 2021, 10:48 BST

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Prime minister Boris Johnson wearing a face mask leaves Downing Street. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty ImagesPrime minister Boris Johnson wearing a face mask leaves Downing Street. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images
Prime minister Boris Johnson wearing a face mask leaves Downing Street. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images

The PM is expected to be flown into Portsmouth Naval Base this morning for the visit, where he will meet members of the ship’s company and tour the aircraft carrier.

It comes after the 65,000-tonne leviathan arrived back in the city on Wednesday, a few days earlier than expected.

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The £3.2bn warship – the flagship of the Royal Navy – arrived with its embarked air wing of F-35B stealth jets to collect supplies ahead of its deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.

HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier leaves Portsmouth Naval Base on the south coast of England, on May 1, 2021, to take part in exercises off Scotland before heading to the Indo-Pacific region. - The HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier will leave Portsmouth later to take part in exercises off Scotland before heading to the Indo-Pacific region for her first operational deployment. Accompanied by six royal navy ships, a submarine and carrying eight RAF and 10 US jets she will replace HMS Ocean as the fleet flagship. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier leaves Portsmouth Naval Base on the south coast of England, on May 1, 2021, to take part in exercises off Scotland before heading to the Indo-Pacific region. - The HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier will leave Portsmouth later to take part in exercises off Scotland before heading to the Indo-Pacific region for her first operational deployment. Accompanied by six royal navy ships, a submarine and carrying eight RAF and 10 US jets she will replace HMS Ocean as the fleet flagship. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier leaves Portsmouth Naval Base on the south coast of England, on May 1, 2021, to take part in exercises off Scotland before heading to the Indo-Pacific region. - The HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier will leave Portsmouth later to take part in exercises off Scotland before heading to the Indo-Pacific region for her first operational deployment. Accompanied by six royal navy ships, a submarine and carrying eight RAF and 10 US jets she will replace HMS Ocean as the fleet flagship. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

She is expected to set sail for her maiden mission tomorrow.

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Related topics:Boris JohnsonPortsmouthHMS Queen ElizabethFacebookRoyal Navy