UK warship STILL hasn’t set sail for Cyprus base and may not arrive for a ‘couple of weeks’, Defence Secretary John Healey admits as Britain’s humiliation deepens

Ministers face more embarrassment over the handling of the Middle East crisis today after admitting the warship earmarked to defend Britain’s Cyprus base might not arrive for a fortnight.

Keir Starmer finally ordered the deployment of HMS Dragon on Tuesday, amid fury that the crucial site had been left vulnerable to Iranian reprisals.

Instead, Greek, Spanish, French and Italian vessels have been covering to intercept missiles and drones in what critics have decried as an ‘humiliation’ for the UK.   

HMS Dragon is still being prepared in dock at Portsmouth, and is not expected to leave until next week. 

And Defence Secretary John Healey, who is on Cyprus, suggested that the delay could be even longer. 

Playing down anger at the lack of preparations, he told reporters last night: ‘As circumstances in any conflict change, you’ve got to be willing to adapt the action you take.

‘I’m doing that by bringing in anti-drone helicopters in overnight. I’m doing that in the next couple of weeks to bring in the Type 45 air defence destroyer.’

Touring broadcast studios this morning, Deputy PM David Lammy gave an even more elastic timetable.

‘HMS Dragon will be in the region in the coming weeks to further bolster and further support our air defences,’ he told Sky News. 

‘I’m doing that by bringing in the top planners to help … co-ordinate the sort of contribution that other nations are now starting to make … the German frigate in the area, and Greek ships also now joining.’

The US-Israeli war with Iran has entered its seventh day with little sign of slowing down.

Sir Keir scramble to show he has a grip on the situation yesterday by calling a Downing Street press conference to explain his approach. 

He swiped at Donald Trump for plunging the Middle East into ‘chaos’ by launching the dramatic attacks on Saturday and admitted the US President has been giving him the silent treatment.

In a Downing Street press conference, the PM played down a mounting backlash over Britain’s lack of military preparations and the meltdown in the Special Relationship.

Standing by his decision to stop the US carrying out ‘offensive’ airstrikes on Iran from UK bases, Sir Keir said he was providing ‘calm, level-headed leadership’ and appealed for the nation to ‘come together’. 

He also argued that the UK had been deploying resources such as anti-aircraft missiles to the region for months. 

The premier said helicopters with capability to shoot down missiles and drones would be arriving in the Mediterranean tomorrow, and more Typhoon jets were being deployed to Qatar. 

‘While the region has been plunged into chaos, my focus is providing calm, level-headed leadership in the national interest,’ Sir Keir said. 

Bracing Brits for looming pain from spiking energy costs, he added: ‘This conflict could continue for some time.’ 

Spain is to join France, Italy and the Netherlands in sending its navy to Cyprus. 

Madrid said the frigate Cristobal Colon would join a growing international armada in the Eastern Mediterranean to ‘offer protection and aerial defence’ and ‘support any evacuation of civilians’ from the island.

RAF Akrotiri was hit by an Iranian drone fired from Lebanon on Sunday, raising major concerns about the standard of local air defences.

Officials initially said the damage was minor, but has since been revealed the drone hit a hangar used by the US for U2 spy planes flying high-altitude reconnaissance missions.

Criticism has been fuelled by reports in the Spectator that the first enquiry from the US about using UK bases for strikes came 11 days before they were launched on Saturday. That would mean the Government had a substantial warning of what was coming. 

Asked whether the Special Relationship was ruined, Sir Keir said: ‘Look, the special relationship is in operation right now.

‘We’re working with the Americans in the deployment from our bases. We are working together in the region, the US and the British, working together to protect both the US and the British in joint bases where we’re jointly located, and we’re sharing intelligence on a 24/7 basis in the usual way.

‘That is the special relationship. That is a special relationship in operation and, clearly, it’s for the president to take decisions that he considers in the national interest, the right decisions, for the US.

‘I understand that, I respect that, but equally, it’s for me as the British Prime Minister to take decisions that I consider to be in the best interest of the United Kingdom.

‘There’s nothing controversial about that. The special relationship is operating right here at an important point.’

He insisted he was ‘satisfied that we can keep our people safe’ amid accusations of dithering and a lack of UK preparedness in the conflict.

Britain started ‘pre-deploying’ to the region in January and February, he said, particularly to Qatar and to Cyprus, where RAF Akrotiri was struck by a drone earlier this week in an attack that sparked questions about a lack of defence.

‘There’s been a lot of pre-planning gone into this, a lot of pre-deployment that’s gone into this,’ Sir Keir said.

‘And I’m satisfied that we can keep our people safe and we’re working very hard to make sure that wherever people have registered their presence, we can help them with the information that they need and the support they need, and get them back to the United Kingdom as quickly and as safely as possible.’