𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

France will send anti-missile and anti-drone systems to Cyprus amid concerns about Britain’s ability to defend its own bases from Iranian attacks.

French President Emmanuel Macron ordered units including two frigates to the eastern Mediterranean after RAF Akrotiri was struck by a drone which pierced its air defences on Sunday night.

The Royal Navy has six Type 45 destroyers which are designed for air defence but Defence Minister Vernon Coaker confirmed in January that only three are operational.

Reports suggest that currently only one of them, HMS Duncan, is at sea off the UK, with the other two tied up alongside in HMNB Portsmouth.

The other three are at various stages of lengthy engine upgrade work, with HMS Daring – the lead ship of the class – having been out of action for almost nine years.

The damage to Akrotiri was said to be “minimal”, officials said.

But concerns have been raised because Tehran was able to hit the base in the first place.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said extra defensive capabilities had recently been moved to bases in Cyprus, including radar systems, counter-drone systems, F-35 jets, and ground-based air defence.

Cypypriot president Nikos Christodoulides appealed to both Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to send naval vessels to help guard the island.

Reform UK Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said that Sir Keir Starmer’s “failure to be a reliable ally” has placed the relationship with the US “under a lot of strain”.

Speaking after Donald Trump’s comments in an interview with The Sun, Mr Jenrick told Times Radio that it is “sad” to see the “special relationship” phrased in that way.

He went on:”It’s bigger and deeper than one prime minister and one president and so I’m sure it can be built up again in the future.

“But it’s quite clear that the Prime Minister’s failure to be a reliable ally to the United States in this moment has placed it under a lot of strain, and that is a cause for concern.

“I’m actually more concerned about British interest, rather than what another leader, albeit a very important ally of ours, thinks of the United Kingdom.

“And there again, I think Starmer has got it wrong, because we’ve seen the drone attacks on our base in Cyprus, putting in danger our troops and the service families who live there.

“The Prime Minister’s response has been too slow. He should have made our bases available sooner and he should have used what military assets we have to defend that base more rigorously than he did.”