'Embarrassing!' Keir Starmer torn apart by Grant Shapps for 'pathetic' handling of Iran war

He said: "It's literally embarrassing to see a decision not to support our American friends, a decision not to support the only democracy in the Middle East whilst they are under threat from a regime that actually openly says that it wants to kill the lot of us.

"I've never felt the country being so impotent in a moment of global crisis."

Sir Grant accused ministers of refusing to participate in allied efforts while simultaneously preventing American forces from utilising British military installations.

The former Cabinet minister expressed dismay at what he characterised as a complete failure to back key allies during the ongoing conflict.

"Then to make the decision that we wouldn't take part, and then to fail to send anything there to support the effort and [to] block the Americans from using the bases we have: pathetic, impotent, embarrassing," Sir Grant stated.

He highlighted the sluggish nature of the Government's eventual response, noting that five days into the crisis, ministers had only just agreed to dispatch a naval vessel.

Sir Grant pointed out this ship would take at least another week to arrive in the region, leaving Britain conspicuously absent from supporting Israel, which he described as facing threats from a regime openly committed to destroying Western nations.

He drew a sharp contrast between the current Government's approach and his own tenure at the Ministry of Defence, during which he repeatedly deployed British forces to protect national interests.

He said: "We want bigger armed forces, and I fought for that and actually won money for it.

"Every time I asked our brave armed forces to do anything, whether it was in the context of the Middle East, taking down Iranian drones when they fired on Israel in April 2024 and I put the RAF over Syria and Iraq, they were there to do it.

The former minister recalled ordering Typhoon jets from the Akrotiri base in Cyprus to strike Houthi positions on multiple occasions in response to attacks on international shipping.

He also revealed he had dispatched a gunboat to the waters off Venezuela when Caracas threatened to seize a third of Guyana's territory.

Sir Grant emphasised that military assets must be actively employed to demonstrate resolve to potential adversaries.

"You've got to be prepared to show a demonstration of force, and indeed, use force. But this Government doesn't seem to understand that this is vital to British interests," he declared.

He cited the Venezuela standoff as proof that such tactics yield results, explaining that after he deployed a gunship and was joined by French and American vessels, Caracas ultimately abandoned its territorial claims against Guyana.

Sir Grant accused ministers of ignoring the approximately 300,000 British nationals currently in the region, as well as years of attacks on UK troops in Syria and Iraq and ongoing assaults on British shipping.

He concluded: "They don't seem to understand there are 300,000 people in the region who are very concerned.

"It doesn't understand that our own troops have been attacked in Syria and Iraq for years now, that we've been having our shipping attacked.

"They don't seem to realise what British interest is if it jumps up and pokes him in the face."