TOP Guns on aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales have launched the highest rate of missions since the Falklands War.
F-35B stealth Lightning jet pilots flew 36 training and war-game sorties in 24 hours as it neared the end of a 40,000-mile voyage to Australia, Japan and back.
Defence Secretary John Healey, on board in Naples, Italy, claimed it sent “a message to Vladimir Putin”, as he was joined by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
She said: “This is a clear demonstration of our strength, of projection of force and deterrence.”
Britain is still sharing intelligence with America despite fears it could be used to bomb drug boats in the Caribbean, the Foreign Secretary has signalled.
Yvette Cooper denied reports Britain had stopped sharing intel over fears the US strikes are illegal.
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US forces have blitzed at least 21 alleged “narco boats” and killed at least 83 people off the coast of Venezuela.
Cooper said sharing “continues” and suggested reports to the contrary were fake news.
She said: “We have a longstanding intelligence and law enforcement framework, particularly with our Five Eyes partners, but also more broadly as well.
“Those frameworks continue – intelligence sharing as part of those frameworks continues.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed reports that Britain stopped sharing as “fake news”.
Cooper referred to his comments, saying: “As you know we don’t comment on the details of intelligence matters, but you will probably have seen that the US Secretary of State has dismissed some of the reports there have been.”
According to CNN the UK stopped sharing intelligence on suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean as it does not want to be “complicit” in illegal US strikes.
The Foreign Office had refused to comment on the claims until now.
