Grant Shapps insists the UK can continue naval action in the Red Sea amid claims of a sailor shortage.
The Defence Secretary said he is “confident” operations will be able to continue or increase in the battle to protect merchant vessels from Houthi rebels.
His remarks came after it emerged the Royal Navy is suffering from a drastic decline in the number of sailors.
MoD figures have revealed the navy is the worst-performing of Britain’s armed forces for recruitment, having just 29,000 full-time recruits.
But Mr Shapps told MPs there is a “very tight” labour market but said the government is ”redoubling” recruitment efforts.
Defence minister James Cartlidge assured MPs no final decision has been made after reports that two assault ships, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, could be retired to free up sailors for other vessels amid the recruitment crisis.
Mr Cartlidge told MPs: “What I would say is no final decision has been made on these platforms. I know there has been a lot of coverage in the press and a lot of chatter inevitably. I know how important they are to our service personnel but I want to reassure him that we are looking at this in the round.”
Meanwhile, Mr Shapps insisted the Red Sea shipping crisis has not escalated amid plans to send a new warship to the region, while also playing down recruitment issues in the Royal Navy.
He told the Commons that HMS Richmond, a type 23 frigate, is only being deployed to the Gulf region to replace British vessels already patrolling the region.
The UK has already sent HMS Diamond and HMS Lancaster to the region to protect container ships from assaults by the Houthis, an Iran-backed militant group from Yemen which has disrupted and attacked trade vessels trying to pass through the region in recent weeks.
A US-led coalition, Operation Prosperity Guardian, has been protecting trade ships as they journey through the region and towards the Suez Canal and Europe.
