'It's cowardice!' Britain branded a 'cautionary tale' in scathing slapdown over Iran war

The UK has been slated for its lack of involvement after it was revealed the Prime Minister initially denied President Trump access to use RAF bases to launch missiles.

Asked how the Israelis now view Britain, Ms Wilf explained the UK has become a "cautionary tale as to what happens to a once-great country which loses the will and capability to fight for its values".

Sir Keir Starmer has reiterated the UK "played no role" in the initial wave of strikes launched by the Americans and Israelis towards Tehran.

However, the British Government has agreed to contribute towards defensive operations across the region - but refused to enter a war with "no clear plan and no legal basis to do so".

She added: "As I'm sure you know, a lot of the the running jokes are talking about the Islamic Republic of Britain, that, as the Islamic Republic of Iran will come down, we now have actually the danger of a nuclear armed Islamic Republic of Britain.

"There is a sense that British leaders are being cowards. Not all. We're seeing some very interesting and inspiring opposition leaders not going in that direction."

"But the current leadership in Britain is one that quite a few Israelis are looking at and saying, 'really? That's what you've come to, this kind of cowardice, to stand for your values, for who you are'.

"'Has the sense of kind of feeling so ashamed of who you are eaten away at you to the point that you no longer understand how important the values are, how much it's worth protecting what your country stands - or, at least, used to stand for?'

"So I think in Israel there is, as I said, there's this sense of almost a changing of the guard as Israel, being that junior partner of the transatlantic alliance that is willing to stand up for values, that is willing to fight for them, that has the will to make the necessary sacrifices, to actually fight enemies with a terrible ideology, which is historically what Britain inspired worldwide."

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch previously told GB News: "Nobody wants a war escalating, but we are in this war, whether we like it or not. We didn't start it.

"What Keir Starmer should be doing now is stopping those missiles from even leaving in the first place. That does mean targeting the missile launch sites."

Meanwhile, Reform UK chief Nigel Farage previously urged Labour to support US action in the Middle East and to join the offensive to "do all we can".

However, earlier today on the campaign trail in Derbyshire, the Trump ally declared Britain should not join forces with America as it launches "relentless" attacks on Tehran.

He said: "Given that we can’t even send a Royal Navy vessel to defend British sovereign territory at an RAF base we certainly don’t have the capability to offer anything of any value to the Americans or the Israelis."

His claim came just hours before HMS Dragon set sail for Cyprus to defend RAF Akrotiri after it was hit by an Iranian-made drone on the second day of the war.

However, the Government's delayed deployment of the Type 45 Destroyer has accumulated scathing criticism of Britain's state of defences, with many critics hitting out at years of chronic underfunding as the culprit.

On Monday, Defence Secretary John Healey told MPs crews had been working "tirelessly, 22 hours a day" to deploy the warship within the next 48 hours.

But the former Head of the British Army Lord Richard Dannatt took aim at politicians over the years for "hollowing out defence", adding the "risks have come home to roost" amid the Iran war.

Speaking to Camilla Tominey, Lord Richard Dannatt, who spend three years in post, added Britain's inability to instantly deploy Destroyers "really speaks volumes".

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