Why RAF bombers did not support or mine Taranto

Why were RAF bombers not used to support the raid or mine the entrance to Taranto?

Too few suitable bombers were available in range, and logistics, security, and competing missions prevented moving a force into position.

Viewers ask whether RAF bombers from North Africa could have provided a diversion or mined Taranto's entrance during the carrier raid. Very few suitable bombers were available, and those aircraft were already needed for other tasks. Moving a force into position would also create support-logistics and operational-security problems. The RAF could carry out effective aerial minelaying in principle, but no aircraft with the necessary range and availability were positioned to do it that night. The answer distinguishes a service's general technical capability from the force available inside a specific theatre and timetable.