𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

One word sums up the Labour Government’s policy on the war in the Middle East: fear. It’s not even fear of sending British troops into battle, and it’s certainly not fear among our forces, who will fight whenever and wherever they are sent.

Many have suggested a failure of strategic planning in the Ministry of Defence accounts for the absence of any British naval assets in the Middle East. I doubt that’s the case. The PM and Defence Secretary would have been given options long ago, as soon as potential hostilities appeared on the horizon, which goes back many weeks.

Those options would have been quite limited given the extent to which our army, navy and air force have been starved for decades.

There must have been a political veto on deploying warships to the region, otherwise how could it have taken so long for HMS Dragon to be readied for action?

If a green light had been given, she could have been fixed up and patrolling in the Mediterranean long before an Iranian-made Shahid drone exploded at RAF Akrotiri.

This whole episode does however illustrate the disgraceful state of the armed forces today.

More than seven days have passed since the drone strike on British sovereign territory. Remember that back in 1982, a naval task force of some 40 warships was bound from Britain to the South Atlantic just four days after the Falklands were invaded.

But Britain’s abject failure to join a just, defensive war against the Iranian terror regime, which threatens the world as well as its own people, is not about lack of military capability.

We even refused to allow the US use of British military bases that America has paid for for decades. It comes back to fear. Fear of losing even more political backing from the Muslim and hard left supporters on which Labour relies. The very idea of joining in or even facilitating a US-led attack on a Muslim country would have filled Starmer with horror.

He might just have mustered the stomach for that, but to take part in an offensive alongside the hated Israel? Impossible. He spent the last two years vilifying Israel, but even the partial arms embargo, sanctions on political leaders and recognition of “Palestine” failed to satiate the anti Israel mobs, as we saw in Labour’s defeat at Gorton and Denton.

Not only that, but his own leadership of his party would be at even graver risk had he joined Operation Epic Fury. Don’t forget there are even greater opponents of Israel waiting to pounce.

Not least Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary. A decades long supporter of Labour Friends of Israel, he sensed the way the wind was blowing and recently published his erroneous view that Israel had been committing war crimes and the whole country should be sanctioned, not just political leaders.

The upshot of all this internal Labour politicking is that our national security has been sacrificed on the altar of party interests. The “special relationship” with the US has been shot away, a long standing alliance which has strengthened our defences and given Britain greater authority on the world stage.

We have undermined whatever remnants remained of any ability to deter our foes.

In short, Britain is now a military laughing stock, standing by wringing our hands even while British sovereign territory is under attack. I have spoken to several US military officers in the last few days. They are all utterly bewildered by how far their once most dependable ally has descended into irrelevance.