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Ministers are being accused of throwing almost £2billion “down the drain” on building the Royal Navy’s troubled super-carriers.

MPs are furious the cost of the 70,000-ton vessels, the largest ever built for the Navy, has soared from £3.65billion to £5.5billion.

When it is finally delivered, four years late, the first will lack vital protective radar for two years because ti won’t be ready.

Months after winning the 2010 election the Tories dumped Labour’s plans to buy jump-jet style Strike Fighter aircraft in favour of more high-spec jets.

But costs of equipment for the planes to take off and land safely more than doubled to £2billion.

The move had to be abandoned costing taxpayers £74million, the National Audit Office revealed.

Costs have spiralled because bungling MoD officials wildly underestimated the price at the start - and how long it would take to complete.

They also made a series of botched procurement decisions, which added to the price, as did the four-year delay.

Westminster’s spending watchdog, the Public Accounts Committee, said this U-turn was just the latest in “an ongoing saga that has seen billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money down the drain”.

Chairwoman Margaret Hodge said: “When this programme got the green light in 2007, we were supposed to get two carriers, available from 2016 and 2018, at a cost of £3.65billion.

"We are now on course to spend £5.5billion and have no aircraft carrier capability for nearly a decade.”

She slammed the “rushed” decision in 2010 to change the type of aircraft flown from the carriers.

The decision was reversed 18 months later by Defence Secretary Philip Hammond.

Mrs Hodge said: “The department believed converting the carriers would cost up to £800million.

"By May 2012 it realised it would be as high as £2billion.

“The MoD has admitted the 2010 decision was based on deeply flawed information, generated under time pressure and in secret.

"Officials also made incredibly basic errors such as forgetting VAT and inflation.”

And the committee are “still not convinced” the MoD has a grip. They fear “uncontrolled growth” in the bill for the Navy flagships.

Last night Mr Hammond said: “The MoD acted swiftly to switch aircraft back as soon as it became clear the alternative would cost more. We did incur costs but saved £1.2billion.”