A former marine has accused Sir Keir Starmer of "humiliating Britain" over his response to the Iran war while heaping praise onto French President Emmanuel Macron.
Sitting down with GB News's US Correspondent Steven Edginton, James Glancy, who is now CEO of Outpost Studios, took aim at the state of Britain's defence on two fronts: politically and militarily.
"From the political point of view, Starmer and the Government have completely messed this up," Mr Glancy started.
Ahead of the beginning of the war, he explained the military's top brass in GCHQ would have presented options to No10, showing evidence it was "highly likely a serious conflict" would unfold in the coming weeks between Iran, Israel and the United States.
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"We've known, given that the American military buildup in the Gulf for well over a month - in fact, a number of months we've known it's highly likely that Israel and America was going to strike Iran.
"And we've known for years what the likely outcomes of that would be.
"We've known because Iran has said 'we will shut the Straits of Hormuz, we will cause chaos in the region' and therefore, to not have prepared to not forward mounted the right air defence systems, to have removed the mine countermeasures from the Gulf."
Mine countermeasures incorporate naval tactics, equipment and techniques to detect, neutralise or remove sea mines, designed to secure maritime waterways, such as the Strait of Hormuz.
James Glancy spoke to GB News's Steven Edginton
|GB NEWS
"As a result, the Government has been embarrassed by France's response," the ex-marine claimed. "Macron's response has jumped all over the attack on Akrotiri in Cyprus."
In the days following the Iranian-made Shahed drone targeting RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, Sir Keir fell victim to severe scrutiny for his "dithering" response.
Only after six days had passed, HMS Dragon - one of Britain's Type 45 Destroyers - set sail after sitting docked in Portsmouth Harbour.
Meanwhile, other European leaders, including Mr Macron, as well as the leaders of Greece and Cyprus, visited the British airbase in the days after the attack.
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Emmanuel Macron visiting French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the eastern Mediterranean
|GETTY
While visiting French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which had been deployed to the eastern Mediterranean after the attack, the French President boldly declared: "When Cyprus is attacked, it is Europe that is attacked."
Mr Macron also used the trip to announce a "purely defensive, purely support mission" by European allies to forcibly open the Strait of Hormuz, beginning "as soon as possible after the most intense phase of the conflict is over".
Mr Glancy continued: "The French response has been very impressive. So politically, Starmer has humiliated Britain.
"He's obviously undermined what's left of the so-called special relationship."
The ex-marine identified the main reason the relationship was undermine was Sir Keir's initial reluctance to allow the US to use British sovereign bases to launch strikes on Iran.
"Politically this has been a Government disaster," he declared.
Mr Glancy continued: "Militarily, our Armed Forces have so little as a result of decades of cuts. We have so little capacity, particularly with the Royal Navy.
"They've got a variety of tasks that they need to cover around the world. And what was required in this situation was Type 45 destroyers. Only two out of the six that we have were available.
"That's normal. Having one available, it usually takes three vessels for one to be operationally available...
"But we should have had 12 ships, which would have meant much more availability to have multiple Type 45s around the world are ready to react.
"So this is a culmination of decades of defence cuts, but a politically disastrous leadership by Keir Starmer."
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