The update is yet another huge blow to the prime minister.
Keir Starmer was dealt yet another humiliating blow on TalkTV (Image: Getty)
Keir Starmer’s government was slammed as Sir Robin Wales appeared on TalkTV following his defection to Reform UK. Nigel Farage has welcomed two Labour politicians as the latest defectors: former Labour mayor of Newham and ex-leader of London’s Newham council Sir Robin and former Labour Newham councillor and cabinet member Clive Furness. Sir Robin has been appointed as the party’s London director of local government, after leaving the Labour Party because of its “outright disdain for working people”.
He said: “After decades fighting for working people in Newham, I’ve seen Labour abandon its roots. Under Sadiq Khan and the Labour leadership across London, the capital has seen soaring crime, failing services, and a party that prioritises the wealthy elite over the working class it was built to represent.”
Appearing on TalkTV with Jeremy Kyle, Sir Robin expressed his horror over Starmer’s lack of action as the Iran war intensifies, claiming that Labour defected from him as opposed to the other way around.
He told the presenter: “I don’t think I defected from Labour. I think Labour defected from us. Can you imagine previous Labour governments having one ship available to go elsewhere? You could send a bloody flotilla.”
The HMS Dragon – the Royal Navy warship being prepared to protect the British base that was targeted in Cyprus – is still yet to leave Portsmouth.
The decision to deploy the £1billion Type 45 destroyer to Cyprus was only taken after RAF Akrotiri on the island was hit by a drone. The government of Cyprus expressed clear disappointment at the response provided by Starmer after the drone attack.
After being asked if people on the island felt protected by the UK, Cypriot High Commissioner to the UK Dr Kyriacos Kouros told BBC Newsnight: “Let’s say the people are disappointed, the people are scared, the people could expect more.”
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson said it was humiliating for the UK that the ship hasn’t departed for the Mediterranean, claiming: “This is probably the only boat that Starmer has stopped crossing the Channel.”
Hitting out at the prime minister’s leadership, he added: “It’s incredibly stupid of us. It shows weak leadership from Starmer. He’s not a leader, he’s a lawyer and we are an international laughing stock.”
It is believed the British warship is not expected to sail to Cyprus until next week, as conflicts in the Middle East continue to escalate.
