Gavin Grey: UK Correspondent on Keir Starmer announcing the UK will send four fighter jets to Qatar

The UK Prime Minister has an uphill battle to convince the public his response to the war in Iran is the right one.

Sir Keir Starmer has announced four extra Typhoon jets are being sent to join the squadron in Qatar, while helicopters with anti-drone capabilities will shortly arrive in Cyprus and the HMS Dragon is being deployed to the Mediterranean. The move follows a strike from an Iranian-made drone at the UK’s Akrotiri air base in Cyprus.

But Starmer is still being accused of having “completely misjudged” the need to put defences into Cyprus, UK Correspondent Grey told Ryan Bridge.

The HMS Dragon wouldn’t arrive for around a week, while other European nations were very quickly filling the void by sending naval assets.

“Frankly many people think Keir Starmer has been caught rather napping on this - plus the fact, rather embarrassingly for him, the first...government-chartered flight out of the Middle East for people who were stuck there had been delayed for some engineering problems.”

The flight had now taken off, Grey said.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And it's got to Gavin Gray, a UK europe correspondent,
Given Stam has just spoken sending some more fangits to Kata.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yes for typhoon jets, but I'm afraid he's still being
accused widely of having completely misjudged this whole requirement to
put defenses into Cypress. Cypress is where Britain has an
raf based arif at Creteri, which had a drone attack
which damaged the runway earlier in the week. Now the

(00:29):
UK is sending a frigate a ship, but it won't
be ready until next week, and that means that it
won't get there for probably a week from now. Other
European nations, though, are very quickly jumping into this void Italy, France, Spain,
the Netherlands or sending naval assets Greece as well joining
in with anti drone materials, and frankly, many people think

(00:51):
Kirstarmer has been caught rather napping on this, plus the fact,
rather embarrassingly for him, the first flight, that was the
government chart flight out of the Middle East for people
who were stuck there, had been delayed for some engineering problems.
It has now taken off, but I think Sir kir
starm has got an uphill battle to convince people he's

(01:11):
doing the right thing.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
Kevin Spain Caroline Live at yesterday.

Speaker 3 (01:15):
With respect to Spain, I think they heard the President's
message yesterday loud and clear, and it's my understanding over
the past several hours they've agreed to cooperate with the
US military, and so I know that the US military
is coordinating with their counterparts in Spain.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
Now the Spanish maids something to say about that, haven't they?

Speaker 2 (01:34):
They sure have. They've categorically rejected that. They said that
our opinion opposition has not changed at all. So is
this another misspeak from the Trump administration and it's spokespeople, Well,
Spain says it absolutely is. They're completely dismissing Caroline Levitt's
words there. Pedro Sanchez, the Prime Minister of Spain, has

(01:57):
been very quick to say no to war. This is
a disaster in the Middle East, it'll be a disaster
for the wider world. President Trump has had a real
go at him saying they're going to sever tize with Spain.
But incidentally, it's very interesting that Aransha ganzale is, the
former Foreign Minister of Spain saying, you know what is
interesting that Trump has attacked the British Prime Minister, the

(02:17):
Ukrainian president, Denmark's Metafredicson and now the Spanish Prime minister.
Why well, they've all got in common the fact they've
said no to him, and I think a great deal
of European sentiment now going the way that we need
to look after ourselves and not worry too much about
what Donald Trump is saying about our leaders.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
Yeah, an insult from Trump no longer carries the same weight,
does it. Appreciate your time? Gavin Grande, our UK europe correspondent.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
Listen live to News Talks.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
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