Royal Navy and Britain remains 'committed' to deploying to the Indo-Pacific, minister insists

The Tory MP’s comments come after the triumphant return of the UK carrier strike group from the region earlier this month.

The seven-month odyssey to the Orient involved more than 3,000 British military personnel and was spearheaded by Portsmouth-based aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.

However, in the days after the mighty naval flotilla’s return, Labour MP Kevin Jones – who sits on the cross-party defence committee at Westminster – demanded to know whether the Ministry of Defence had ‘defined the regular drumbeat of the carrier strike group operations in the Indo-Pacific’.

Responding, Mr Heappey said: ‘The UK is committed to a greater persistent presence in the Indo Pacific.

‘This year's carrier strike group deployment to the Indo Pacific is just one example of the more confident, UK-led, highly technological, and internationally partnered effort to strengthen our alliances and national interests in a region critical to global peace and prosperity.’

He added Portsmouth-based patrol ships HMS Spey and Tamar are already in the region, ‘where they will remain, forward-deployed on a permanent basis’.

In 2023, they will be joined by the navy’s littoral response group, which will also be forward-deployed in the Far East.

The group is made of amphibious assault ships, Royal Marines and other naval vessels and can be deployed on operations at short notice.

This group could also be supported by British aircraft carriers and their task groups.

Although Mr Heappey added: ‘Carriers are key strategic assets and their deployment plans will depend on threat as well as the government’s engagement and security priorities.’