Biggus,
As I recall the official line is that their is "no obvious threat" and the Nimrod with Harpoons could do any job required. Attacking warships with LGB is not recommended if they have a decent SAM.
AFAIK Brimstone's mmwave radar is not programmed with shapes of boats or ships so its unlikely to hit anything. Even if its launch platform got close enough.
Richard Beedal has just updated his site
here on this subject and I hope he does not mind me quoting him. I find his observations to be very accurate, especially the last 7 words.
Perhaps the most worrying problem is finding aircraft for the new carriers to operate. Currently the Royal Navy simply does not have regular access to UK operated fast jet aircraft to operate from its designated high readiness strike carrier, HMS Illustrious. Disastrously the Sea Harrier FA.2 is now long gone and the sole operational naval air squadron (800 NAS) re-equipped with the Harrier GR.7/9 is about to deploy [again] to Afghanistan, providing land-based close air support to NATO forces there. In order to maintain some level of experience in the operation of fixed wing aircraft, HMS Illustrious recently operated 14 American (US Marine Corps) AV-8B Harrier s for an exercise and will soon embark Spanish Navy Harrier’s for another. Although the MOD has tried to put a positive spin on these deployments, the underlying desperation is impossible to hide.