The UK has been a great naval power. In the 2 nd World war we still had a large fleet, and rapidly developed aircraft carriers when the war revealed they are crucial to provide air cover for large surface ships.
This century all 3 parties in government ran defence spending down and reduced the number of ships. Conservatives realised it had gone too far and started to rebuild before leaving office. Instead under this government it has become a rout. The Secretary of State removed the last minesweeper from the Gulf and did not keep a frigate in the area,. He allowed most of our modern sophisticated an air attach destroyers be in for deep maintenance at the same tine and failed to prepare Dragon for timely departure to support our Cyprus base. He approved both aircraft carriers being in home ports at the same time, leaving much of the world a long sea voyage away.
It looks as if this government was planning our disengagement from the Middle East and sea routes to India and China without announcing such a dramatic change of policy. Their wish to give Diego Garcia freehold away and to give the EU and Spain considerable control over Gibraltar is symptomatic of their casual wish to end our influence and to undermine the navy.
They talk all the time of stronger links with the EU rather than NATO, oblivious of how we rely on US collaboration for our defence and in ignorance of the poor defences of most western members of the EU. The EU is not going to protect us.
The government pretends to want higher spending on defence without budgeting the money. It needs first to tell us what extra ships, planes, drones, troops we need then go about procuring them. Urgently it needs to ensure many more of our current navaL vessels are at sea or ready to sail. We should be assisting convoys in the Gulf to protect our trade.
March 14, 2026
It is now clear that the political failure to maintain Britain’s defences is about to be completely laid open to view by Mr Trump’s call to other nations, including China interestingly, to help him to re-open the Strait of Hormuz. The French have already sent a major force to the Eastern Mediterranean. The only ship we were able to find is barely out of the Channel, and from what one hears, even if something is cobbled together to show a brave face, the support ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are in such a poor state as to be mostly unseaworthy, so there will be big problems with supply and maintenance. We are very lucky that Mr Putin is tied up with The Ukraine.
March 15, 2026
So Trump tells us he’s won his war and doesn’t want or need our ships. Then a week later begs us to help him out of the hole he’s dug himself into. I don’t think so. This is not our war
March 15, 2026
It certainly is and the pathetic Starmer will surely comply in defensive areas like mine sweeping not that the pathetic man has much kit or people to offer!
Scum, scum, scum Rayner is still strong favourite to replace him shortly after May 7th I assume!
March 15, 2026
Actually no. It suits Trump to have the Straits closed, it starves China of fuel.
The USA and Israel don’t need the straits open, he said that if other nations need the straits open, they can send a force to open them. Why should the USA help Britain for example when Britain was very unhelpful to the USA?
March 15, 2026
China isn’t being ‘starved of fuel’, Lynn. ‘Oil shipments through the strait account for only 6.6% of China’s overall energy consumption, according to Nomura’s chief China economist Ting Lu. Natural gas imports through the route account for another 0.6%, he said.’ CNBC 9-3-26
March 15, 2026
Add the energy from Venezuela.
China is hurting.
In addition of course the Chinese manufactured weapons have proven less than effective.
You can see why Russia depended on its own design and production capacity exclusively.
March 15, 2026
But it is our war. We rely on shipments of gas from Qatar through the Straights.
As for the Navy, it’s shameful. I served 9 years, 6b in nuclear submarines. We had worldwide reach at a moments notice.
Trump had done us a service exposing the sheer stupidity of successive governments in decimating our armed forces.
We need to go back to Cameron and Clegg to see when the damage started.
It doesn’t help recruiting and retention when our SSBNs have to spend 210 days on patrol.
March 15, 2026
If we rely on gas from Qatar through the straits of Hormuz, that doesn’t make it “our war”. It makes Trump’s war our problem. We shouldn’t help him to continue it.
What Trump needs to hear from the British government is: “You got yourself into this mess, you get yourself out of it.”
March 15, 2026
It’s a Famous Victory for Israel and the USA. They have saved themselves from Dhimmi.
The British Government refuses to stop the conquest of Britain – that’s you!
March 15, 2026
Ian.
Thank you for your service, I can certainly feel and understand your anger and frustration, that unfortunately we have never carried forward the lessons learned, over and over again, from two World Wars, the Falklands, and many other conflicts and stand offs.
As a trading Nation Island, we need a strong Naval and Airforce presence for our own protection, and perhaps whilst the days when our Army could march across foreign fields to aid whatever cause was deemed supportable are over,, at least it should be capable of a full defence of our own nation should it be attacked to threatened in any way.
Yes cyber security is very important in this day and age, but it has to be backed up with enough people and equipment to uphold and counter any threat in a World where political, religious, and idealist despot leaders seem to be causing chaos all over the place.
As you outline, successive governments have failed our armed forces for many decades, and before those you outline.
Shame on them, given the first task is for the defence of the Country
March 15, 2026
The Politicians will only do something when the Public finally realise how dangerously exposed they are to attack and it becomes an election issue Alan.
Unfortunately, this may take some sort of disaster to really sink in. Hopefully a few more are now looking at the embarrassing state that our once proud Royal Navy has sunk to and that at least the essentials will be attended to (getting what few ships we have left back into service). I will admit that I’m not confident even that small step will be taken under these incompetants.
March 15, 2026
Trump has done the UK a service by telling Starmer to cut out low skilled immigration, control the borders, drill baby drill, ditch the net zero hoax, spend more on defence, protect free speech… Alas Starmer wants the complete reverse on all these. Plus he want to rejoin the leg irons of the EU!
March 15, 2026
Lifelogic
Afraid Starmer has Net Zero ear muffs on, and will simply not listen to any counter arguments made, however sensible, likewise arguments on the economy, investment, and tax to death policies.
Come to think of it, I cannot actually remember him getting any decision right on anything !
March 15, 2026
@BA Indeed he is rather like the BBC in this regard. But his blatant lies before the election “smash the gangs” and “no return to the EU” in my lifetime, and Net Zero will deliver cheaper energy and green jpbs… + plus the Ming vase agenda worked well for Labour!
March 15, 2026
St J,
Now Trump says he might bomb Kharg Island again ‘just for fun’.
When asked about capturing Iranian ships he says he was told it was ‘more fun’ to sink them.
He has little concern for deaths in the American military.
Meanwhile, the rather strange senator Lesley Graham wants Americans to send their sons and daughters to war.
Secretary of war(previously defence) revels in the destruction of Iran. He makes earlier war mongers like John Bolton seem moderate. Bolton only wanted to start the wars, he was not so obsessed about the damage inflicted. On the other hand, the secretary of defence is worried about unflattering photographs of himself being published. Strange times.
March 15, 2026
Not for fun, to deprive the Islamic Republic of fuel.
March 15, 2026
Mossad has just wiped the Iranian Regime’s entire ‘Iranian morality’ surveillance database. The regime used a vast camera network to track Iranian women, identifying those who didn’t wear hijabs etc.
This is warfare on a very sophisticated level.
This is protecting and targeting individuals as required without being anywhere near them.
March 15, 2026
Perhaps Two-Tier will try and demonstrate to President Trump that he has a tiny bit of Churchillian “can do” attitude and will put out a call for The Little Ships to sail to the Gulf.
I rather suspect the response will be VERY different 🙂
March 15, 2026
What business is it of ours what goes on in the Persian Gulf? If we can’t get our energy needs from an unstable region of the world, fool us for trying in the first place.
We could have our own oil, but there was a decision to auction it off to the highest bidder, so it became theirs, not ours, even if there was permission to open up the wells.
Someone has had the wishful dream of energy without pollution. Well you can’t have enough if you stuff the country with millions more people; renewables just won’t do it.
March 14, 2026
Starmer clearly doesn’t believe in projecting power – or proper defence.
If he had his way we would be a neutered state like Eileen.
The EU could never replace NATO, it’s nothing but a talking shop and is dominated by France’s insistence on being top dog and the leading weapon supplier.
The only solution is for us to spend more money,, more efficiently and build a far bigger defence force.
We have to eliminate inter-service rivalry which has seen our Navy reduced to a shadow, despite having Brown’s two shiny carriers, which could be useful if we only had enough aircraft, and can’t be sent anywhere without the defensive screen being provided by NATO allies. We couldn`t defend the Falklands today because our NATO partners would not allow their destroyers and frigate to go with the task force.
As well as invest much more in kit and manpower,, we could look at re-organising our military along the lines of the US Marine Corp, which alone is now far bigger than our entire three services. A fully integrated force with no Air Marshals and far fewer Admirals and Generals, all wearing the same uniform.
Reply We have 6 destroyers and 7 frigates with new frigates on order so we should be able to put one carrier group to sea at any given time.
March 15, 2026
To reply:- plus two useless, ill specified, aircraft carriers (sitting ducks given the lack of support that they would need to avoid being sunk). Our defence procurement has been a sick joke for very many years. But then so has almost everything else about recent government. The two tier justice, the dire NHS system, a justice and immigration system with no real deterrents, the £600bn spend doing huge net harms during COVID, a bloated state sector, an inability to build houses due to planning obstructions, a mad energy policy (that about 90% plus of the population disagree with)… The Starmer, Reeves, Lammy, Milliband, Philipson government the most evil and appalling yet.
The doom loop politics of envy, suppression of free speech, open border and two tier justice. 40% of new house to go to migrants it seems. Who will pay for them?
Reply A carrier task force can successfully protect people and ships and project power, but not by staying in a home port.
March 15, 2026
Perhaps they think they might not evem make it that distance. One seems to be used mainly for spares!
March 16, 2026
LL:
You are very wrong on this. The two carriers are very valuable ships. Queen Elizabeth has been in service for ten years, and needs a refit, as would any ship. Prince of Wales would be available if the government had the will, which it doesn’t.
What is needed are more frigates, which are being built, but too slowly, a consequence of the neglect of our defences which cannot be rectified quickly. Being snide about ships we have and which work does not help.
March 15, 2026
we are not even protecting the beaches of South East England from daily invasion. the will is simply not there.
March 15, 2026
Face it! The British Government is on the other side. They will give ‘asylum’ to the fleeing defeated Republican Guard, they already are, many have already arrived in poor Canada.
The fact that the core of the Islamic regime still with breath is fleeing is a sure indication that The USA and Israel have a sure grip on this in the Middle East.
March 15, 2026
Seems so.
March 15, 2026
LL,
Agreed re the expensive aircraft carrier with no planes on board.
Also expensive armoured vehicles that are too shaky for troops to use. Defence procurement is hopeless. There seem to be no penalties either for failure to deliver.
Point deducted for use of ‘doom loop’ again in a post
March 15, 2026
What is your alternative to doom loop?
March 15, 2026
LL,
I would just avoid the phrase. It adds nothing.
It is the sort of waffle a management consultant might use. I bet PPE graduates love it too.
March 15, 2026
@Peter – PPE graduates like Reeves certainly seem to like causing them! In engineering/scientific terms it is positive feedback which is almost always disaster and not positive at all. Perhaps doom-feedback.
March 16, 2026
The last time Prince of Wales was in the Med she had 24 F35Bs on board. It is lazy to say they do not have aircraft. When Queen Elizabeth was completed, the F35B order was only starting to come though, and the Coalition government had stupidly sold off our Harriers, so aircraft numbers were indeed low. That is not the case now, and it is lazy to repeat this tired trope.
March 17, 2026
We should be on hand to help the USA and to keep the strait open as we have been asked to do, and need to do for our own sake as we need the fuel.
The obdurate Government might once again snooker itself and be forced to issue licenses to drill in the North Sea.
March 15, 2026
Trump has the go/no-go switch code on every F35 fighter aircraft
March 15, 2026
we hsve 4 trident boats, and struggle to keep one of those at sea constantly, and then only with occasional mega long record breaking patrols because the other 3 are not ready. 2 of any ship is not enough to have one constantly ready.
March 15, 2026
And don’t forget Shakespeare’s brilliant partly political play The Tempest. Where Prospero represents the controlling autocrat in us all including in politics. And how this autocracy is more about a deep lust for power (than duty or patriotism – the person might start off with ‘duty’ but becomes overwhelmed with personal lust for power). And that the Prosperos in politics (from left to right and Woke) create all these unintended consequences and monsters – like Caliban. Caliban could be Labour indulging in borrowing we can’t afford or right-wingers forming parties that undermines the Conservative Party and so allows Labour back into power. But the Prospero-Caliban model reflects so many other things in politics (and in the individual too – not just politics).
So please stick to the Conservative Party, and remember Shakespeare’s brilliant The Tempest, and the politics of great leaders such as Queen Elizabeth I who saw herself as a Christian leader to serve her people and country (not a secular leader preocupied with his own secret agenda) and to protect and help flourish our Christian values and heritage and the best of our Greco-Roman values too.
And then we will be far more as a nation – and as individuals – like Ariel in The Tempest:
Where the bee sucks, there lurk I;
In a cowslip’s bell I lie;
There I crouch when owls do cry:
On the bat’s back I do fiy,
After sunset, merrily.
Merrily, merrily shall I live now,
Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.
God bless our wonderful country and those who govern us.
March 15, 2026
(Not say Elizabeth I wasn’t flawed or was a saint but at same time I have a lot of respect and admiration for her – and a lot to learn from her)
March 16, 2026
We need four SSBNs to keep one at sea continuously. Having two carriers means that at least one should be available at short notice, which is the case now. Queen Elizabeth is in refit, but Prince of Wales could be available. The government chooses to to use her.
March 15, 2026
The left helping to destroy our nation. But some on the right keep running our country down. Lord Redwood here doing the opposite. Thank you sir.
We need to be aware of all the bad things going on, of course, but remain HOPEFUL too and not lose one’s sense of humour! And the only way to fix this country is through the Conservative party! Instead of other right-wing parties that are essentially just weakening the Conservatives and allowing Labour to remain in power. The other right-wing parties have some great ideas but ultimately those ideas should be expressed within the Conservative Party. And we just have to work harder at building up the Tory Party so that it wins more votes but with good policies. There’s no other way to at least to keep Labour and Starmer and Rachel from accounts out of power. If not it’s just immature, self-indulgent fantasy.
So please get behind the Conservative Party.
March 14, 2026
The Bureaucrats are in charge, in some parts of the World they are also called bean counters – either way they miss the point by a wide margin.
The have one Destroyer on station you need 3 Destroyers. One is always being serviced/update, its the complexity of the beast. Another is on work up, training getting ready to relieve. So that the 3rd is on Station. The Navy as with all military personnel, provide 24/7/365 day protection and they are human, they deserve being treated as such. They don’t go home to their families every night they don’t knock off work at 5:00pm or start a 9:00am as such they have to be relieved sometimes.
Parliament takes the, lets be blunt, ‘piss’ at times forcing guys (& girls) to sit at the bottom of the Ocean for more than 200 days at a time without(really without) any outside World contact and getting just £500 per week, even then the MOD forces them to pay for food and lodging while on duty.
Then to dance around what is asked instead of just getting on with things Parliament and its Government to try and fudge their obligations by calling halts and having reviews so as to pause their obligations
March 15, 2026
Indeed the technology changes are vast so we have:- 5 Lawyers and 3 PPE or politics graduates on the National Security Council which allegedly “considers the strategic approach to national security, foreign policy, resilience, international relations, economic security, trade, development, defence and global issues.”
Starmer moronically could net even let the US us our bases initially. All these people joined the Labour Party so daft are they and non seem to know anything about defence, warfare, technology, energy, economics or even real politics!
Its membership is as follows:[18]
Image Member Office(s)
Keir Starmer
(Chair) Prime Minister
First Lord of the Treasury
Minister for the Civil Service
Minister for the Union
David Lammy Deputy Prime Minister
Lord Chancellor
Secretary of State for Justice
Rachel Reeves Chancellor of the Exchequer
Yvette Cooper Foreign Secretary
Shabana Mahmood Home Secretary
Darren Jones Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
John Healey Secretary of State for Defence
The Lord Hermer Attorney General for England and Wales
Advocate General for Northern Ireland
Should go well! I would say God help us! but there obviously isn’t one – can I still say that nowadays or is that a hate crime now!
March 15, 2026
@Lifelogic – then factor in a Labour Party(the Party of and for the Workers), supported and sponsored by the Trade Unions and not one worker or person that has ever done real work amongst them!
March 15, 2026
Ian B
But it is not a Party for the WORKERS any more is it.
It is not a Party for the Pensioners either, or for the savers, the investors, the self employed, or anyone who wants to try and improve their lot by their own efforts.
In fact it appears to be against all of those given the policies it has been proposing and passing.
March 15, 2026
Indeed the party of low skilled immigrants, the feckless and the state sector and now with the appalling Islamophobia law let kill free speech agenda!
March 15, 2026
@Berkshire Alan – I was being sarcastic. Their voting pool is still those that believe in it as a workers party, it is an ingrained religion
March 16, 2026
definitely not a party of the white working classes, or supporter of them
March 15, 2026
You are trying to cheer me up.
Starmer looks petrified and acts like a hostage.
Who do you really think is in charge?
March 15, 2026
Good question? What is driving all this suicidal lunacy is all areas!
March 15, 2026
I’m afraid the bureaucracy is no longer in charge.
It’s MUCH worse than that.
March 14, 2026
History can be informative but the danger of looking at the modern world through a historical perspective is that the world changes and most of all in the modern world technology changes massively. World War 2 was over 80 years ago and then and in the days when Britain had the best navy in the world there were no accurate long range missiles and no drones. What use is their navy to Iran (sank before it could do anything) or its big Black Sea fleet to Russia (partly sunk and hiding away as too vulnerable to use even against a third rate military power, Ukraine)? Even the Falklands conflict over 40 years ago showed the vulnerability of surface ships – they are only of any use against very weak or very weakened adversaries. We need better defence spending more than we need more defence spending.
March 15, 2026
Well it’s true that the Iranian Navy are all sunk, but the Russian navy is certainly not and is capable of keeping the Black Sea free of all sorts of interference that would aid Ukraine.
Without our fleet we would ah e lost the Falklands. Indeed without a fleet Argentina could not have attacked them.
However you have fallen into the very trap of which you warn.
What expenditure and defence is available to secure the population in the event of an entirely unforeseeable uprising of say 10% of the population armed with very basic and easily obtainable weapons?
March 15, 2026
Another interesting contrast with the Falklands war is the total lack of comment about an American submarine sinking a Persian warship on its way home from a conference, by torpedo, and the fuss and flap and enquiries after an English submarine sank the Belgrano which was without doubt in a position threatening our fleet and its operations.
March 15, 2026
Yes, well the whole Iranian navy have been converted into ‘sub-marines’.
March 15, 2026
except these new ‘sub-marines’ aint’ going anywhere apart from possibly deeper in bits.
March 15, 2026
@Lynn Atkinson
Absolute crap. Ukraine has sunk the ENTIRE Russian Black Sea fleet using marine drones and Storm Shadow missiles. In the first year of the war they successfully struck the Russian equivalent of the Admiralty building, again with Storm Shadow and killed all their Admirals
Ukraine has the freedom of the Black Sea. Russia does not. Last night Ukraine sunk two ferries operating in the Kerch Strait.
How about you check the facts before you post your usual nonsense here?
March 15, 2026
And you got this from …… Zelensky who uses these ‘successes’ to extract more money?
Now tell us how we can put up windmills and forget oil and gas.🤣😂
March 15, 2026
+1
March 15, 2026
The various Anglo Afghan wars are informative. William Dalrymple ‘The Return of a King’ covers some of this.
The Afghans had a nominal king who paid tribute to various groups who controlled the mountains. Before the internet, Britain had two people on the ground. One was for regime change, the other was for continuing support of the existing monarch. Russian incursion into India was a fear.
Anyway, Britain sends troops in to pursue our aims. Unfortunately the Afghans used home made long barrel rifles called Jezails which had a greater range than British guns. They sat in the hills and picked off our forced at will. They knew the terrain. We did not.
Rudyard Kipling :-
‘A scrimmage in a Border Station
A canter down some dark defile
Two thousand pounds of education
Drops to a ten-rupee jezail.’
Interesting parallels if US decide to send in ground troops to another mountainous country.
March 15, 2026
The US will NEVER set foot in Persia.
The people of Persia, currently under orders to remain indoors while the basij troops are picked off with drones, will recover their own country, their own religion and vote for their own leaders.
March 15, 2026
LA,
Then I wonder what the reported 5000 US marines on their way to the Gulf will be used for?
March 15, 2026
Not entering Persia.
March 14, 2026
We need to think about our foreign policy objectives and strategy first and then figure out what sort of armed service would correspond to our needs.
No-one will come to our support unless it fits in with their interests. I don’t believe the US is a friend: we are its vassal state as much as (perhaps more than) the Gulf arabs. The relationship is both demeaning and abusive. We support and join its wars and follow its greater European policy to our disadvantage. I think we need to step back, make wider alliances and create our own nuclear deterrent.
We need to forget our former power. WW2 is ancient history. Post Suez we are at the most a regional power in Europe. The immediate people wanting our resources are our European “neighbours”, not Russia or China. Germany is rearming. The EU block is obviously losing its bet on getting Russian assets, is bankrupting itself and deindustrialising, yet still wants regional dominance.
I think our medium term external threat comes from the EU (ie. France and Germany aligned), and the stranglehold the US has on our nuclear deterrent.
In terms of a navy we want a force that can cut traffic to Europe (much as the Iranians have blocked the straight of Hormuz). For that we don’t need a fleet of big, vulnerable surface ships or the capability to transport ground forces we simply don’t have.
As for our far-flung territories, we had better use diplomacy and trade to defend them. Any determined nation with a few good missiles can defeat anyone these days. Look at the Huthis – they made the US cut and run.
In the end diplomacy is better than war, we ought to remember that.
March 15, 2026
Our immediate threat is the same as the immediate threat to France and Germany,
March 14, 2026
The EU Security & Defence Partnership (2025) seemingly has been created to supplant NATO and the 5 Eyes cooperation. The drum beat echoed from Parliament and its Government it is this agreement above all that will protect the UK.
Protect the UK’s Worldwide supply chain? Not forgetting it is the UK Parliament that cancelled our industrial base, cancelled our own energy supplies. They ‘made’, no forced the UK to be the recipient of everything it needs to survive. This UK Parliament is forcing the UK to become a 3rd World dependant Nation on the back of their political ideology and ego.
This UK Parliament has maliciously cancelled their first rule, their prime purpose, the safety and security of its people.
Who thought 5 year terms were a sane option? The removal of basic democracy has allowed the enemies of the nation free rein to destroy it.
March 15, 2026
There is not a fixed 5 year term. The government can fall or lose a vote of confidence or resign and call an election.
However it woun’t.
March 15, 2026
@Lynn Atkinson – there is when the system states that is the mandatory position and the majority of the free-loaders’ in Parliament are there fore themselves and not the electorate or the country. In a Democracy we see those with power seeking confirmation of direction in a timely manner. In a dictatorship we see those hiding behind maximum destruction and disruption to manipulate their own personal position of power
March 15, 2026
It’s the maximum time between elections. If the PM does not choose to call an earlier election, then there will be one anyway at the 5 year point.
The problem regarding the quality of those returned to Parliament is a different issue and would remain even if the election cycle was set at 6 months.
March 15, 2026
@Lynn – “It’s the maximum time between elections.” that’s the point being made. The Worlds larger and free democracies have to seek a mandate for most every 2 years. In the USA Trump would have had 3 elections before Starmer seeks validation
March 17, 2026
Ian I think the USA does not give enough time to any administration to enact laws and see results thereof.
If MrsT had been cut off after 2 years she would have failed.
Our real problem is holding Governments to account, too many MOs are on the govt. payroll and we need much higher quality people, as we did when the electorate chose their candidates freely.
March 14, 2026
I’m too depressed and embarrassed for our country to comment, except to note that I have never seen a government policy to unravel so far as Starmer’s proposed give away of the Chagos Islands, now supported by Russia as “decolonisation”.
March 15, 2026
Of course there is much more involvement with AI and drones in today’s security.
March 15, 2026
Good morning.
But JR, did you not get the latest memo ? The MoD now stands for the, Ministry of Diversity. It is more important now that we have a balanced gender, race and LGTBQRS + +1 community. Of course I am being my usual sarcastic self but there is, as I am sure you know, more than a grain of truth in that.
I am given to understand that the MoD, the defence on not the diversity, is headed by a civilian Civil Serpent. This is why we are more interested in making sure that our ships run on carbon neutral fuel (no I am not making this one up) and proudly boasting such, or the RAF not wanting straight white males as fighter pilots. ie The MoD is not being run as a department of defence but as a sort of university common room / ideology chamber.
What trade ? We don’t make anything ! All we will be doing is putting service men’s lives at risk so people can have their Chinese tat.
March 15, 2026
Myself think there as been some back room dealings with the EU to sliver back into there club and start a EU forces, why else would liebour be giving the USA the run around, this bunch of Westminster sitting muppets won’t be satisfied till the EU hold the reins to this country because it’s bloody obvious to the public they are not fit to be in power
March 15, 2026
HMS Lancaster, a Type 23 frigate and 34 years old was retired in Dec 2025, with the Royal Navy stating it would not return to the UK for decommissioning and would instead be prepared for disposal in Bahrain.
The vessel had been inspected by Lloyd’s Register ship surveyors and was deemed to be in such bad condition that it would be unsafe to sail her home
Of the six Type 45 destroyers only HMS Dragon, HMS Duncan and HMS Dauntless are currently operational, with HMS Dragon departing for the Eastern Mediterranean in March 2026. The others are still waiting for power plant upgrades
As of early 2026, the RN is experiencing a severe frigate capability gap, operating only seven active Type 23 frigates. Further reductions are expected, with the total number of operational Type 23s set to drop to six, or possibly fewer, as further vessels (HMS Richmond) are scheduled for decommissioning in 2026
We could not send either of our carriers to the Gulf because of this lack of escorts
Reply We could have made enough frigate and destroyer capacity available to send a carrier group
March 15, 2026
@ the Rt Hon the Lord Redwood
Many would disagree. So long as there is the slightest possibility that the war criminal Putin is supplying the IRGC with targeting intel for use against Israel/America/allies in the Gulf war, we should keep out of it
Trump himself confirmed on Friday that the Russians have been supplying them with help “a bit”
Source; Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, Fox News etc
This issue needs to be rapidly clarified before any active British involvement in the war is undertaken. GCHQ and SIS should be providing the government with the facts for consideration at the forthcoming COBR meeting next week
March 15, 2026
Take JRs word for it. He would say nothing if it were not confirmed fact.
This is not an issue where opinions matter.
March 15, 2026
“Coulda-woulda-shoulda”
Too late
March 15, 2026
Reply – Reply
John we do not really have a carrier force without the use of other Nato Countries helping us out.
Just look at America to show what a real carrier force looks like.
It can attack and defend, only requiring help from its friends for re -supply in ports.
We simply do not have enough ships to protect one carrier let alone two.
If they were all operational at the same time, which clearly they are not, it would clear us out of ships completely.
The Chagos give away and payment, is simply and example of our present governments thoughts and policies.
March 15, 2026
He said so. You want him to say it again, would that be more convincing?
March 16, 2026
Lynn
I think the answer outlined was SHOULD be ABLE…………. to protect one carrier !
We have two !
In essence we simply do not have enough ships, even if they were all serviceable, and ready to go, which they are not.
March 16, 2026
We know that the State has been robbed blind year in and year out. I’m not disputing that.
In fact remember JR assuming that the MOD was the outlier and remained competent.
But honestly, this is not a big job. We must have been able to do it.
All the heavy lifting has been done by USA and Israel.
I believe the PM is on the other side. That’s the long and the short of it. Luckily we are not properly armed because I believe he would have intervened to DEFEND the Islamic Republic.
It’s a bit like the ‘Chief Abortionist’ aka the Archbishop of Canterbury, she has gone on a walk to avoid voting FOR the proposal to kill babies born on their natural birthday, and every day before. There is NO CHANCE that she would vote against.
March 16, 2026
You are quite right, we do not have enough surface escorts. This is because of the criminal behaviour of successive governments from 2000 onwards. No frigates were ordered for about 20 years, whereas in the past we ordered two or three a year. This has led to all our frigates falling out of service at once. The Type 23s had a design life of 18 years, and have been kept going for over 30, and they cannot continue. This dereliction of duty is close to treason.
March 15, 2026
Trump has been advised by the US Navy that it is not currently possible to run the Strait of Hormuz without unacceptable losses. What a surprise, he is now demanding that America’s allies provide the necessary escort ships
The IRGC is not defeated and has not asked for terms. The Ayatollah regime continues to fire missiles and drones at middle eastern countries and this weekend, again using Russian targeting intel, has successfully managed to hit no less than five American KC-135 refuelling tankers on the ground at the massive Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia
Two weeks ago, in an ac imonious telecon with PM Sir Kier Starmer, Trump said that British help would not be necessary “after the war is already won”
I think Starmer is wise to keep us out of this war, beyond defending our military bases in Cyprus and elsewhere in the region. Better the government looks to mitigating the economic consequences of the near doubling of the oil price and works to get us out of our dependence on the fossil fuel cartel completely. Fortunately, in 2026 we no longer import much LNG from the Gulf
Reply The issue that caused the needless rift with the US was Starmer refusing permission for the US to use our joint Diego base. We were nit asked to bomb Iran ourselves.
March 15, 2026
Reply to reply: But why should we make ourselves complicit in a war crime?
March 15, 2026
The 90 million Persians who have been hostages for 47 years don’t see the act of freeing them as a crime.
They perceive it as the reverse.
Do you think the Allies should have left the prisoners in Bergen Belsen etc in their prisons?
Do you think freeing them was a ‘war crime’?
March 15, 2026
Dragging our feet and keeping out the way looks a sensible plan.
When your enemy is making a mistake it is best not to stop him. In this case Mr Trump is the enemy (we must not say so) and should be left to stew in his own juice. His financiers and election strategists will soon slap him around a bit to see sense. So send a tin tub slowly and do very little is a good plan.
We must remember Iran was no threat to us at all, the nuclear bit pure moonshine. But a useful excuse for a belligerent neighbour to bounce a foolish Trump into getting involved.
Remember Kipling’s line about £2000 pounds of education dropped by a 10 rupee jezail. Ships are sitting ducks.
March 15, 2026
+1
March 15, 2026
Wow. No wonder we are in existential danger.
I honestly don’t know if Britain can be saved.
March 15, 2026
Sorry Jim, the startement that “Iran was (is?) no threat to us” is wishful thinking. There is ample evidence that Iran is determined to produce nuclear weapons. You do not produce 440 kgs of Uraniam (to 60% purity) to use in power stations. It’s enough to produce a dozen or so warheads. They’d only need one to wipe out Tel Aviv.
The idea that a Terrorist State armed with nuclear weapons is no threat to us is total fantasy I’m afraid.
March 15, 2026
Following another Trump telecon with the war criminal Putin – made at Trump’s request – he has lifted restrictions on countries buying Russian oil. But it’s OK, it only affects Russian crude stranded at sea after the closure of the key shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz
Trump’s bid to cut oil prices will fill Russia’s war chest with $billions. US treasury secretary Scott Bessent claimed – without evidence – that the 30-day waiver would “not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government”. Is this guy Bessent for real?
On Saturday, following the call with Putin, Trump again criticised Volodymyr Zelensky – saying the Ukrainian leader was “far more difficult to make a deal with” than Vladimir Putin in efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Zelensky replied that Russia was “100% supplying Iran with Shahed-type drones” to use against the US and Israel as well as “considerable” intel on US and allies military dispositions
March 15, 2026
Van der Leyen was BEGGING Zelensky to allow Russian oil to flow through the Druzhba pipeline to Europe.
What have you to say?
Personally I’m thanking God that Putin is a humanitarian and does NOT want the European civilian population to suffer the stupidity of the policies imposed by the moronic bureaucracy which governs the EU with an iron fist and a wooden head.
March 16, 2026
Anybody a bit curious could know that the Frienship (Druzhba) pipeline is in fact a network of several pipelines. The Druzhba-South one is deserving Hungary and Slovakia, the only two EU countries still buying Russian oil thanks to a US authorisation to do so. It was attacked by Ukraine in March 2025, damaged in August 2025 by the Ukrainians and in January 2026 by the Russians. That’s the reason behind Hungary blocking different bits of the EU budget then the intended EU sanctions against Russia.
reuters.com 03/12/2025 ‘Ukraine hits pipeline sending Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, source says’.
reuters.com 12/02/2026 ‘Russia attack knocked out pipeline carrying its own oil to Europe, Ukraine says’.
ft.com 03/03/2026 ‘EU urges Ukraine to allow access to pipeline carrying Russian oil’.
politico.eu 11/03/2026 ‘Hungarian team enters Ukraine to probe Druzhba pipeline shutdown’.
msn.com 15/03/2026 ‘I didn’t blow up Druzhba: Zelenskyy reveals timeline for pipeline repairs’.
straitstimes.com 15/03/2026 ‘Ukraine briefs diplomats from 31 countries on the damage to Druzhba pipeline carrying Russian oil’.
So a complex situation affecting Slovakia and Hungary, not ‘Europe’ and very difficult for me to see how one can conclude that ‘Putin is a humanitarian … bla bla bla … and a wooden head’.
March 16, 2026
Easily repaired Hefner.
I’m not surprised you can’t comprehend the criminal incompetence of the EU.
You confirm your severe limitations in every post.
It makes us all very grateful for Brexit and redoubles our determination to effect it fully at the first opportunity.
March 15, 2026
When Cameron/Osborne/Clegg imposed “austerity” (yes, I know) …. never forget that they massively cut the defence budget, by roughly 22%, but ring-fenced International Aid …. alternatively known as bunging money at corrupt foreign Governments, politicised “charities” which pay their senior management six-figure salaries, and wasted on nonsense attempts to influence medieval cultures. Instead of funding defence, Andrew Mitchell prioritised the creation and promotion of an Ethopian Spice Girls, funded by British taxpayers!
Two-Tier’s Labour Party wants to erase every link to colonialism. That is why Chagos is being given away and we are paying to lease Diego Garcia (ie reparations). It is why Lammy is supporting Slavery Reparations. It is why the Party is deliberately destroying the special relationship with Trump’s USA.
Instead of a global maritime nation, Labour wants the UK to be a statelet in the EU, entirely dependent on our continental neighbours for survival and governed by them.
When the Not-a-Conservative-Party was given an instruction to LEAVE the EU and had the opportunity to promote the UK as a global maritime nation, it chose not to do it. We are in the position we are because of 14 years of Tory failure; Labour is simply making it much worse.
March 15, 2026
Mrs Gold is unhappy that we have had to cancel our planned trip to Dubai this month. FCDO now advises against all but essential travel to many countries in the Gulf area
The Dubai Miracle Garden is in full bloom, showcasing over 150 million flowers arranged in various displays, including vertical gardens and themed structures.
There are numerous specialty florists such as those in the Zabeel area, which are offering grand orchid displays and collections. I was personally much looking forward to visiting The Butterfly Garden, located next to the Miracle Garden, which offered an interactive experience with thousands of butterflies.
Under the circumstances it would be unwise to risk our travel insurance being invalidated. Nobody seems to have shot down an airliner full of infidels yet, but it’s probably inevitable
March 15, 2026
Never mind think of how much “Devil Gas” you will be saving. Perhaps, in the interests of achieving Net Zero you should pledge to never fly anywhere, ever again 🙂
March 15, 2026
At least you understand that you are an infidel.
Perhaps you should go, my cousin flew home to South Africa on Friday via Dubai where the number of civilian flights is increasing.
You might pick up a cheap apartment, could be more useful than you can foresee atm.
March 15, 2026
I’d take Mrs Gold there anyway SG. I understand that the hotels and beaches are deserted and there is bound to be a great holiday package to be had. Just think – no annoying children in the restaurant and no “Influencers” filming you at the pool-side bar. All at a bargain price for an exclusive holiday with Mrs Gold. What’s not to like?
As for insurance – you have been stacking Gold for some time now and should have made enough margin over the past year to cover any unexpected expense yourself.
PS Just don’t get caught filming any drones passing overhead – the local Authorities don’t like you doing it.
March 15, 2026
What won’t appear in travel brochures – the new loaction for unusual ‘plane’ spotting without going near an airport.
March 15, 2026
SG,
The weather will improve in the UK and you don’t have to worry about attacks on aircraft or hotels.
It would be more restful to stay here and console yourself by drinking your eponymous Egyptian lager .
March 15, 2026
Trump wants to bomb Kharg Island for some more Fun – he says America is winning – well I don’t see it – you follow America if you wany but don’t count on me
March 15, 2026
I’m sure they won’t. Can you imagine Iran with a Nuclear weapon? Fanatical, potential martyrs are extremely dangerous.
March 15, 2026
The danger is that the U.K. does have a nuke. That’s what the yanks are worrying about now. A nuclear powered Islamic Republic, or two as France also is a nuclear power.
March 15, 2026
or even Pakistan providing one to Iran.
March 15, 2026
Iran is dead, they can’t find a live Ayatollah to be Supreme Leader. Persia will not be an Islamic Republic.
March 15, 2026
A very long way from yellow cake to enriched uranium. A very long way from enriched uranium to a workable missile-transportable bomb. All this in secret in a country full of spies and people who can see the idea is suicidal. Not a credible notion but good woo woo. They were allowed to play because they could be crushed any time we chose and it wasted their time and money.
But a few drones and mines can keep Trump bottled up for years. Just maybe the Americans will realise they have been suckered.
March 15, 2026
You can apologies shortly.
By the way, Bibi is alive contrary to the wishful thinking of those who believe in ‘manifestation’.
We are getting close to the Persian handover.
March 15, 2026
Pakistan has a nuclear weapon also Israel also India also North Korea but it’s stupid to think about because none if them can use it
March 15, 2026
Why should we be able to do anything about the Persian Gulf when we can’t even defend our southern coast from an invasion coming to globalise the intifada?
How can we recruit for the Royal Navy when the younger generation are being indoctrinated with anarchist beliefs, teaching them to hate their country?
The anarchists and the Islamists, allying themselves in hatred of western society, and indulged in by our political class.
March 15, 2026
As ex-RN, I can say that the Navy today is not a patch on the senior service of say, 40+ years ago. The ships and equipment may well be far more advanced than those of the last century, but the standard of leadership today has clearly fallen well behind.
Successive governments have failed to maintain standards for renewing, refitting, and re-equipping our warships, despite the Admiralty’s advice, and the dire result is now too clear.
The common denominator in these failures is Whitehall itself, which makes me wonder just how much control the Civil Service has over such decisions. Were/are accountants running the Mod?
I could not believe PM Cameron alone decided to scrap our famous Harrier jets, prioritising the RAF by increasing their numbers instead, leaving our old and the new Labour-initiated Aircraft Carriers bereft of any attack aircraft.
How silly is that? It’s not much better today, and all because of the bad decision to progress the QE class Carrier without a catapult system. Such a system would have enabled the RN to fly a wider assortment of a/c (including a now essential AWACs), from the flight decks rather than only those capable of VSTOL, which are always much more expensive than the former type.
The USA, China and Russia all have large carrier groups, but our once great Royal Navy has now become a mere pigmy to them, and it’s clear to see why.
March 15, 2026
In today’s Britain, the kind of person that might sign up for the Royal Navy is also labelled as far right, and a person to be despised.
March 15, 2026
They are recruiting, funnily enough white people appeared on the adverts again.
Not a single diverse face to be seen.
March 16, 2026
This applies to the Navy, just as it does the army:
https://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/poem/poems_tommy.htm
Why would any white British working class man (or woman) want to join the Armed Services and possibly be sent to fight for the likes of Two-Tier, Hermer, Miliband etc?
March 15, 2026
At one time our fishing & mechantile fleets were a prime source of RN sailors Dave but the EU and the Unions killed both of those pools off. There was also a clear career path.
You could join the Forces, travel the world, gain useful skills and earn promotion. Even the money was pretty good – especially given that your accomodation and food were provided. Ex-service men were highly prized. They were used to working long/irregular hours, were disciplined, often highly skilled and not ‘unionised’ by nature. I served for ten years but three of those were spent on trade or leadership courses. So the military used to be a good deal for a young guy but I don’t think I’d be attracted these days (even if I could start over).
Having watched the steady decline of HM Armed Forces since, I’m also very glad that I left when I did.
March 16, 2026
I agree that the carriers should have had catapults and arrester wires. But there is no going back now. The deliveries of F35Bs were slow, but we have at least now got the capability to put two squadrons on a carrier. This is a very powerful air group, arguably better than anything the Royal Navy has ever had.
March 17, 2026
It is a relief to know that.
March 15, 2026
“This century all 3 parties in government ran defence spending down” This century has seen Parliament having been hijacked by Socialism, with individuals (the MPs) more concerned with still sitting there ‘freeloading’ after the next election than ensuring there is a tomorrow for all its people and the nation as a whole.
There is the ‘rub’ Socialism wins votes through dependency and central control. Creating entitlement, not of being able to grasp and excel, but entitlement of give me what others have ‘earn’t’, the creation of the socialist voters.
Just having any sort of military, means individuals are trained in resilience and self-reliance, taught to strive and win, the complete opposite of the ‘give me’ mentality of socialism. Parliament, with its self-centred MPs see there are no votes to be had in encouraging in people the opposite mantra to their quiet life.
It’s about winning the next election, not the people, not the country. It’s about creating the dependency of benefits, therefore the socialist voter, not defending the country.
March 15, 2026
We still outspend Israel by 1/3rd.
Why is the productivity and reach so different?
March 15, 2026
LA,
Because America pays for it all.
March 15, 2026
Nop.
Israel has an arms industry that exports more than we do. They have recently overtaken us.
March 15, 2026
@Lynn Atkinson – ?
March 15, 2026
+1
March 15, 2026
Except for a welfare state, navies and their dockyards are the most expensive things a country can buy. As you can only spend a pound once and HMG prefers to fribble it on welfarism, it’s clear we have no navy because we can’t afford one.
That fits well with a continental policy like the one rejected by referendum in 2016 but still the preference of government. A blue-water policy, traditionally the Tory choice because of its obvious utility to an island trading nation with wide overseas interests, is not within our financial grasp.
That’s a pity. Although the capital cost is high the return sea power gives is enormous. It’s no coincidence that Britain’s big navy age was also its age of big power and big wealth, but small navy and continental focus leave us weak and poor.
March 15, 2026
Lord Redwood, your headline could be misconstrued to reflect of a problem with the Navy, as in its personnel. Surely all the outlined problem are with Parliament, Minister, Civil Servant and the MOD? They are all running the service as some sort of ego ‘look at me’ trip.
We have the MOD alone that has more staff than it is possible to put on the ‘front-line’, yet the equipment they supply is woeful, keeps coming up short on delivery and purpose.
There are internal contradiction in the service itself. Depending on who is delivering the figures there are 134 Admirals in the Navy, yet as we have seen in recent weeks the country has been unable to deliver just one Navy Fleet. I was on the staff at Mount Wise for a number of years, it controlled the whole Navy(which of course includes the Marines) and its Fleets we had just the one Admiral.
Parliament has spent to long squandering the UK’s future, playing politics for personal egotistical again. We need a Parliament fit for purpose that understands who it is the pays and empowers them. A Parliament that works for the Nation and its People – there has been no sign of that this century, and nothing on the horizon suggest it will come back. They have all bought into the Socialist central command and control and the entitlement without it being earned or effort as they encourage elsewhere.
Its not about ‘The state of the navy’ its about the infiltration of parliament, the majority of parliament of haters of the nation. So focused on personal self-esteem they will trash a people, a nation to embellish ‘self’ rather than doing the ‘job’
March 15, 2026
We’ll soon have to start thinking more about ourselves and purely for defence – after this war in the Middle East ends the political dynamics will have changed so much America won’t count the same anymore and neither will Israel – could be the Israelis will have to find somewhere else to live because if they use a nuclear device as it looks like they might then nobody knows how it will end. Trump is a deranged lunatic and it would be folly to hitch our wagon to him.
March 15, 2026
There will be peace in the Middle East with all concerned signed up to the Abraham Accords. Possibly Syria will have to undergo a bit more revisionism.
That will definitely change geo-politics and for the better.
The USA is pushing back hard against its own corruption, ensuring fair elections is critical and deporting fake asylum seekers who are actually invaders is turning the USA around.
I am very concerned that we will lose the whole of Europe, including Britain.
Even John Cleese if concerned about dhimmi Britain (currently called two-tier) and is wondering where he will live.
March 15, 2026
When we talk ‘Navy’ it is usually meant defending our existence our right to survive and be allowed to flourish as part of the World. That means as an Island we have at all times access to trade routes vital to our tomorrow.
This is where the UK Parliament can be labelled the enemy within, the traitors to a Nation and its People, they refused to allow the ability of the UK to exist. Today we have the situation of our vital lifeline the ‘Strait of Hormuz’, UK shipping can’t pass through it and bring back vital supplies, the UK can’t defend its own shipping as Parliament cancelled the Navy. The UK can’t replace this valuable lost cargo with its own resources because the UK Parliament refuses to allow its extraction and use.
It is a clear example of a Parliament ‘fighting’ its people and the country. We can flippantly blame what is sometimes called ‘Government’, but in the UK Government are the puppets of its Parliament. If a government is failing in its duty, the blame lies on the shoulders of every individual MP that is putting ‘self’ ahead of nation. Parliament chooses government no one else, parliament can replace a government in an instance – they refuse.
The reason we have no Navy, the reason we cant defend our shipping, our supply routes is because the UK Parliament is fighting the people
March 17, 2026
But the people have not yet started fighting back….
March 15, 2026
“It [the government] needs first to tell us what extra ships, planes, drones, troops we need then go about procuring them.”
Yes, how could we “procure” them as the government says their top priority is to implement Net Zero (for no reason at all because there is no climate crisis caused by adding CO2 to the atmosphere) to save the planet. Buy electrified ships and planes from China? Buy second-hand? We no longer have the industrial capacity to produce our military equipment. A CAGW/Net Zero activist only has to lie once with “we need to save the planet” for all those arguing for sane policies to save us from economic, industrial and national suicide to go weak at the knees and give up.
March 15, 2026
Lord Redwood, I have to take issue with your suggestion that what was a navy can be considered ‘has been’.
After all, ignoring the continuing saga of late, budget over-run of Scottish ferries, we English provide regular, warm, safe and dry ferries across the Channel daily sometimes in slightly rough seas.
There is a regular demand for services and the cost to passengers cannot be rivalled.
March 15, 2026
It has been clear from the start that this government wants to destroy previous relationships, to make us a vassal of the EU. They are burning bridges and trying to make rebuilding impossible, disengaging from the far east and the US. Their lack of action to defend interest and bases in the Med and middle east also suggests they wish to wind down those roles, to instead become a “contributor” to an EU armed forces.
What can be done, is being done to hinder this?
March 15, 2026
our kind host spent many years in parliament and in several roles when in government.
I suspect he realises he was simply part of the political charade that passes forUK
democratic governance.I well remember HMS Bulwark arriving home from our
defence of the Falklands.Pomp and circumstance and flag waving.What shocked
the Argentine Dictatorship was realisation that our Vbombers(VULCANs) were quite
capable of making a clear statement of our intent to oppose their invasion.
Decades later,sadly, we have nothing capable of deterring a repeat attempt
without the support of the USA
March 15, 2026
People saying we should be using navy to assist ship convoy’s through the Hormuz Straits don’t know what they’re talking about. Right now the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier has retreated with its escorts as far south as it operationally can in an effort to avoid Iranian drones – the whole thing for projecting Naval power in the region is a disaster and is not working.
March 15, 2026
And the other two US Aircraft carriers? Where are they.
March 15, 2026
A spokesperson(Milliband) for the government today on TV News channels in answer to the question of defending UK Lives, shipping, trade, energy says the government is in talks with it EU Colleagues, to find a way for the UK Government to do that.
It would appear from his answers that the UK Parliament/Government is not allowed to protect its interest or its people without the authority from some ‘higher’ body. The UK is not allowed to independently protect its people.
March 15, 2026
Then in answer to the question of keeping energy ‘prices’ & ‘supplies’ under control , now, today. He responded that he as the UK Secretary of State for Energy Security has ordered Subsidies to be awarded to eight new projects help supplies by 2030. 4 years late and over the market price from an already beleaguered UK crippled by his actions.
He did add it was the fault of the UK’s energy/fuel supply companies that we are seeing price rises. He will be holding talks to tell them not to raise prices.
The Quality of the UK Parliament speaks volumes
March 16, 2026
The Palestinian Ambassador?
March 15, 2026
Delays and Cancellations up 80% since Labour privatised South West Trains, train operating company, last year.
Staggering that even in their socialist paradise mindset they think this is acceptable.