The Royal Navy could be stripped of its ability to attack enemy-held beaches under cost-cutting plans.

The Senior Service could see its two amphibious assault ships, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, taken out of service in a new round of cuts to the Armed Forces, the BBC's Newsnight claimed.

It said such a move, which the Ministry of Defence described as "pure speculation", would save money and free up crew for the two new aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.

It comes days after Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, used a speech at the Conservative Party Conference to call for an increase in defence funding as his ministry announced a £1billion support package for the Royal Navy fleet.

Newsnight reported that the plan, coupled with the loss of 1,000 Royal Marines, had alarmed senior commando officers.