Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of staging a PR stunt after the first seizure of an alleged shadow fleet tanker, the Smyrtos, in the English Channel. The operation, which took six hours, was the first since Starmer authorised the military to board vessels suspected of funding Vladimir Putin's war machine. However, the timing—following a disastrous week for the PM on defence—has raised eyebrows.
Criticism of Timing
Retired senior Navy officer Tom Sharpe described the seizure as a "deeply cynical ploy" to make defence and Starmer "look robust" after Defence Secretary John Healey and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns quit over a military spending row. The Ministry of Defence insists the operation was planned for weeks, but former commanders say it could have been launched quickly.
Footage Released on TikTok
The dramatic footage was first released on Starmer's TikTok account, further fuelling claims of a PR exercise. The tanker, sailing under a false Cameroonian flag, was intercepted in the early hours of Sunday.
Only Repeated Action Will Convince Sceptics
In March, Starmer vowed to go after the shadow fleet "even harder," but no action followed as around 200 sanctioned vessels traversed UK waters. Now, the seizure of the Smyrtos has been welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but the PM must act again to prove it was not a one-off stunt.
More interceptions are the only way to dispel the notion that this was a political ploy, analysts say.
