Sir Keir Starmer has clashed with his defence chief over the “disastrous” failure to send warships to the Middle East. Air Chief Marshal, Sir Richard Knighton, Britain’s Chief of Defence Staff, was said to have been at loggerheads with No10 over the UK’s slow response to the unfolding conflict in Iran. Sir Richard was asked by Britain’s National Security adviser Jonathan Powell whether the navy should mobilise an aircraft carrier to the Middle East.The defence chief, who has never fought in a conflict and has only been stationed abroad once in Italy, supposedly scoffed at the idea of sending an aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean.
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He responded by saying this was not necessary as Cyprus was essentially an aircraft carrier, considering the location of RAF Akrotiri there.The Spectator reports that Sir Richard said: “We don’t need the carrier [HMS Prince of Wales]. “We have an aircraft carrier – it’s called Cyprus.”This decision meant that the UK lagged behind its European counterparts to come to defend its allies in the Middle East in the form of naval power. RAF Akrotiri was also left poorly defended initially as it was hit by a drone on March 1, however, the Ministry of Defence reported “minimal damage” as bomb hit the base’s runway. Britain has spent £7billion on two aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, but they have not been utilised. The inaction from the UK has reportedly enraged Cyprus, Jordan and the UAE, with the UK looking like a bystander in this latest conflict, having previously been one of the biggest naval powers in the world. MORE TO FOLLOW…
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