And Finally... French to join with our Navy to save us cash

Defence chiefs yesterday announced they wanted closer ties with our allies across the Channel to share the cost of military operations such as sea patrols.

And it could mean the Royal Navy's new £5billion aircraft carriers being guarded by the French, vanquished at Trafalgar by Horatio Nelson's valiant Brits.

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said there are fears the cash will not be there to build the smaller warships needed to protect them.

He added: "We must increase our co-operation with our international partners to deliver defence more effectively and efficiently in order to make the best of our combined resources. In Europe, the return of France to Nato's integrated military structures offers an opportunity for even greater co-operation with a key partner."

Mr Ainsworth played down the chances of merging the services but didn't discount it.

He added: "Do I think anything as radical as the disappearance of one of the services will be necessary? No. But if other people want to suggest that, that is up to them."

Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup declared the future of all three services was up for debate in the hunt for savings.

He unveiled a government green paper that paves the way for a full spending review after the election.

The RAF, founded in 1918 by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service, would be the most likely casualty with a reduction in numbers. British and French ground troops could also go into battle together as part of the cost-saving move.

The plans were unveiled as Gordon Brown was accused of slashing defence spending when he was Chancellor.

Sir Kevin Tebbit, who was the MoD's top civil servant, said the PM cut £1billion from the budget at the start of the Iraq war in 2003.

He claimed helicopters, Nimrod spy planes, destroyers, frigates, minesweepers and patrol vessels, Challenger tanks, AS90 artillery and Jaguar aircraft were all affected.

Sir Kevin told the Chilcot inquiry into the war that the "arbitrary" cuts triggered a "crisis period". But former Defence Secretary John Reid, a long-standing enemy of Mr Brown, rallied to his defence.

He told the inquiry the PM had "funded in full" requests for additional resources for Afghanistan.