NEWS
‘Not Winston Churchill’: Trump hits out at Starmer, as UK to send warship to Cyprus
Tensions are continuing to escalate across the Middle East, as ITV News Correspondent Neil Connery, Political Correspondent Shehab Khan, Europe Editor James Mates and International Editor Emma Murphy report
The UK and France are sending warships to Cyprus to bolster its anti-drone capabilities.
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Number of dead US service members rises to six.
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US President Donald Trump has repeated earlier criticisms of the UK government’s stance towards the conflict in Iran, saying Starmer is “not Winston Churchill”.
Speaking alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said he is “not happy” with the UK and with Starmer, and that “this is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with”.
He also repeated his criticisms of the Chagos Islands deal saying: “I will say the UK has been very, very unco-operative with that stupid island that they have, that they gave away and took a 100-year lease; having to do with, perhaps, indigenous people claiming the island that never even saw the island before. What’s that all about?”
His comments came as the UK announced it will send helicopters and an air defence destroyer to Cyprus, in response to the growing conflict in the Middle East.
The prime minister confirmed the UK would be sending the HMS Dragon, one of the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 air defence destroyers, after RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus was hit by a drone.
The announcement comes after France said it would send a warship to bolster its anti-drone defences in the region as the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran continues to escalate.
In a post on X, Starmer said he had spoken to the president of Cyprus and added: “The UK is fully committed to the security of Cyprus and British military personnel based there.”
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) also said on Tuesday that UK F-35s had shot down several hostile drones over Jordan, Iraq and Qatar.
The MoD said it’s the first time British F-35s have shot down targets during an active operation.
Meanwhile, Israel has continued to strike Tehran and Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, as US President Donald Trump warned Iran to prepare for the “big wave” that was yet to come.
The death toll across the region continues to rise as Iran and its allies hit back against Israel and neighbouring Gulf states.
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The video posted to the official White House X account opens with footage from the 2023 video game “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” before transitioning into footage of real strikes conducted on Iran since Trump launched his war.
