Defence Secretary John Healey has announced that HMS Dragon will set sail for Cyprus in the next couple of days, following criticism over the UK's response to a drone attack on RAF Akrotiri. Healey told the House of Commons that navy crews are working tirelessly, 22 hours a day, to prepare the warship for deployment.
The decision to deploy the Type 45 destroyer was discussed six days ago and signed off approximately 36 hours after the drone strike on the Akrotiri airbase. However, the time taken to prepare the vessel means it may not arrive off the coast of Cyprus until after the weekend, with sailing time from Portsmouth estimated at five to seven days.
Healey faced accusations from shadow defence spokesperson James Cartlidge that the Labour government's failure to deploy the Royal Navy quickly had undermined Britain's international standing. Cartlidge noted that France, Greece, and Spain had already sent warships to the region. In response, Healey blamed previous Conservative governments for hollowing out and underfunding the armed forces, cutting £12 billion from the defence budget and reducing the number of frigates and destroyers from 23 to 17.
The drone that struck Akrotiri was small and originated from either Lebanon or Iraq, Healey told MPs, though its exact origin remains undetermined. Fragments of the drone, believed to be an Iranian Shahed type, are being analysed for foreign military hardware, but the UK cannot confirm reports of Russian components. Typhoon pilots have shot down two additional drones, one heading towards Bahrain and another over Jordan, while the RAF continues missions to protect the UAE.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed that the Treasury's strategic reserve is available to fund military operations in the Middle East, stating there was no immediate budgetary reason for the delay in deploying HMS Dragon.
