RAF Akrotiri, a British air base on Cyprus, was hit by a drone attack on Sunday. In response, the Royal Navy's guided-missile destroyer HMS Dragon has been tasked with sailing to the eastern Mediterranean, though it may not reach Cyprus for two weeks. The vessel is based in Portsmouth and will remain in port for several days, possibly not sailing until next week, with the journey itself taking close to a week to complete.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch attacked Keir Starmer, branding him weak on Iran, China, and national security. Badenoch accused Starmer of 'catching arrows rather than stopping the archer' in response to the Iran crisis. She said Iran is trying to kill UK servicemen and women, and the UK is in the war whether it likes it or not. Badenoch said Starmer is 'all mouth and no trousers' and called for the defence investment plan to be published next week.
Keir Starmer has been weak on Iran, weak on China, weak on our national security.
The delayed deployment of HMS Dragon has underscored broader military readiness concerns. The warship's extended stay in port and subsequent week-long transit to the eastern Mediterranean suggest potential logistical or maintenance hurdles. This operational delay occurs against a backdrop of Conservative criticism that the UK entered the Middle East conflict with a disastrous lack of preparation. Kemi Badenoch said the UK's lack of preparation before the Middle East conflict should act as a wake-up call to boost military might.
The government has defended its current capabilities and actions. Border Security and Asylum Minister Alex Norris stated that the UK has been building up defensive capacity and is defending Britain's interests in the conflict. Norris mentioned that the UK has stood up RADAR systems, air defence systems, and F-35s, which have had an impact in keeping interests safe. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the House of Commons he initially refused to grant the US permission to use the Diego Garcia base and send military equipment to the Middle East unless satisfied there was a thoughtful plan. He said the protection of UK nationals is the number one priority, and the UK is taking action with planes intercepting strikes, deploying more capability to Cyprus, and allowing US planes to use UK bases.
When British bases are being attacked, he relies on other countries to disable the missile sites firing at us. When China demands a new Super Embassy spy hub in the City of London in return for investment from Beijing, he folds. When the government had the opportunity at the Spring Statement to explain how it will fund our armed forces, we got record welfare
In contrast, the Conservative opposition has outlined ambitious rearmament proposals and specific funding plans. Kemi Badenoch called for the largest peacetime rearmament programme in British history. She said a future Conservative Government would reinstate the two-child benefit cap to fund increased defence spending. The Tories would take £17 billion from Ed Miliband's green projects to create a Sovereign Defence Fund if they return to power. Badenoch said this fund would fund the largest net increase in British troops since World War 2: 6,000 regular soldiers and 14,000 reservists.
The controversy over the government's Defence Investment Plan has become a central political demand. Kemi Badenoch warned that Keir Starmer has not published a long-overdue Defence Investment Plan because he has no idea how to pay for spending 3% of GDP on defence. Labour ministers had said the defence investment plan would be published last year but have since refused to set a timeline amid reports of a dispute between the MoD and Treasury.
Paul, I don’t quite accept that. We've been building up our defensive capacity; we've been very clear that we're going to defend Britain's interests during this conflict. We've stood up, whether it's our RADAR systems, our air defence systems, our F-35s. Your viewers will have seen the impact that has had in recent days in keeping our interests safe, whether that's in the air or on targets on the ground.
Separately, national security concerns have been amplified by arrests linked to alleged Chinese espionage. The partner of Labour MP Joani Reid was arrested today on suspicion of spying for China. David Taylor, the partner of Joani Reid, was detained by the Metropolitan Police under the National Security Act. Two other men were arrested on suspicion of assisting Chinese intelligence: a 68-year-old in Powys, Wales, and a 43-year-old in Pontyclun, Wales.
In a related development, campaigners have formally lodged a legal challenge against the decision to allow China to build a super-embassy in London. The Royal Mint Court Resident's Association, a group of leaseholders, is leading the legal challenge against the Chinese super-embassy.
Look at what we've been able to do and look at the impact of it. We were able to because we built them up ahead of time, and can now stand up important defensive capabilities. Those have been impactful, and I think viewers will have seen some of the footage or certainly seen some of the reporting from it. We've stood those c
Amid these security challenges, diplomatic efforts continue. Keir Starmer returned from the Gulf on Friday despite Britain playing no part in ceasefire talks between the US and Iran. Starmer insisted the UK's diplomatic efforts were helping to resolve the crisis.
The political debate has also extended to welfare versus defence spending. Kemi Badenoch branded Labour weak for putting welfare over defence after the OBR confirmed welfare spending is set to rise by £74 billion over five years.
This disastrous episode of our lack of preparation for war in the Gulf must act as a wakeup call. Not for navel gazing and finger pointing, but for action.
To address tensions on the ground, Defence Secretary John Healey arrived in Cyprus to calm tensions after anger that the UK is not doing more to protect British bases. Healey is set to meet his Cypriot counterpart and visit British forces personnel in Cyprus.
The international dimension of the crisis was highlighted by Kemi Badenoch's reaction to remarks from former US President Donald Trump. Badenoch expressed dismay at Donald Trump's recent social media remarks mocking Keir Starmer and the UK.
This is a national scandal. There’s no plan for rearming Britain. And the reason there’s no plan is that they have no idea how they are going to pay for it.
Several critical unknowns persist in this multifaceted security crisis. The specific problems affecting HMS Dragon and their severity remain unclear. The exact timeline for publication of the Defence Investment Plan and the details of the bureaucratic dispute are currently unknown. The evidence or details supporting the Chinese espionage allegations have not been made public. The legal grounds and prospects for success of the embassy challenge are not yet clear. The specific actions the UK has taken with planes intercepting strikes and deploying capability to Cyprus, and their impact, have not been detailed publicly.
While the outcome of this war in Iran remains uncertain, what’s clear is that the United States is playing by a very different rule book to the one we’ve been used to. Many people find President Trump’s actions to be an anathema. They find his words unstatesmanlike; they find his treatment of allies to be needlessly provocative. I have to say that some of the president’s recent social media posts and comments to the press have dismayed me, too. Maybe his successor will return to more traditional diplomacy.
We need to act with clarity, purpose and with a cool head. The protection of UK nationals is our number one priority. And we are taking action to reduce the threat with planes in the sky in the region intercepting incoming strikes, deploying more capability to Cyprus and allowing US planes to use UK bases to take out Iran’s capability to strike.
Iran is trying to kill our servicemen and women. He is catching arrows rather than stopping the archer. I say to Labour MPs: We are in this war whether we like it or not.