BRITAIN has been blasted for “not doing enough” over Iran strikes by Middle East allies.
It marks the latest blow to Sir Keir Starmer after a savage dig from Donald Trump, who said: “This isn’t Winston Churchill we’re dealing with here.”
Now Britain’s allies in the Gulf and Cyprus have accused the PM of failing to act to protect the region and UK citizens from Iranian missile strikes, The Times reports.
US and Israeli forces began bombing Iran last week, with the regime responding by lashing out across the Gulf states and launching strikes on the RAF base in Cyprus.
It comes as it emerged Britain’s lone warship heading to Cyprus reportedly will not even set sail until next week.
HMS Dragon today remains at anchor in Portsmouth as the Royal Navy scramble to get it ready after the PM ordered the destroyer to the Med.
The ship is being loaded with weapons after being fast-tracked out of maintenance, according to Navy Lookout.
The Destroyer is reportedly preparing to make the 3,400 mile voyage to the Cypriot base from early next week.
It will take the Type 45 around seven days to reach its destination.
A member of the Royal Navy’s Daring class, HMS Dragon is 500ft in length, weighing 8,500 tons and cost £1 billion to build – it is manned by nearly 200 crew members.
It is one of six Type-45 air defence destroyers, purpose built for anti-aircraft and anti-missile warfare.
But one western official claimed the proposal to send the ship was not handed to the chief of defence staff until 9.30am on Tuesday, four days after the war started.
Kyriacos Kouros, Cyprus’s high commissioner to the UK, said: “The French are coming.
“The least we expect is the Britons to also be present since, as I said, we are not only defending Cypriots on the islands.”
Meanwhile, an insider added: “There was a feeling that the prime minister had to be dragged there.
“It obviously reflects badly in the eyes of the Gulf Cooperation Council.”
It comes as Sir Keir hit out at the criticism in PMQs, and said he wouldn’t join the war without a “thought-through plan”.
Responding to the blast at PMQs, the PM declared: “The American planes are operating out of British bases, that is the special relationship in action.
“British jets are shooting down drones and missiles to protect American lives in the Middle East and our bases, that is the special relationship in action.
“Sharing intelligence every day to keep our people safe, that is the special relationship in action.
“Hanging on to president Trump’s latest words is not the special relationship in action.”
Sir Keir insisted Britain was acting to defend UK interests but said he would not join offensive action without “a lawful basis and a viable thought-through plan.”
At PMQs he told a packed Commons that multiple F-35s and Typhoons had been in operation “not just in the Middle East, but across Cyprus”.
The PM said: “In agreement with the US they are using our bases to conduct operations to strike Iranian missiles and launchers we are taking …
“That is the action we are taking, that is the agreemnet we have reached with the United States to protect our nationals.”
A government spokesman said: “We have taken significant and concrete steps to bolster our defences in the region. Our jets — Typhoons and F-35s— have been flying regular defensive sorties from Cyprus and Qatar, successfully taking out multiple Iranian drones threatening the region.
“Since January, we significantly boosted our defences, deploying additional radar systems, air defence, and F-35 jets to our bases in Cyprus, and Typhoon jets to Qatar. We are now sending Wildcat helicopters armed with Martlet drone-busting missiles, due to arrive in Cyprus within days, and deploying HMS Dragon to the Eastern Mediterranean, one of the most advanced air defence warships in the world.
“The prime minister has also authorised the US to use British bases for defensive missions to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities. We stand ready to protect British interests and those of our allies.”
