Financial Times: Britain scraps plan to send aircraft carrier to Middle East after Trump mocks
The Financial Times newspaper revealed on Monday that contingency plans that the government had been considering to send the aircraft carrier “HMS Prince of Wales” to the Middle East have been canceled, in a development that reflects the sensitivity of the political situation after US President Donald Trump publicly mocked Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The British Department of Defense had put the carrier and its crew in a high state of readiness to sail within five days, in a move announced on Saturday as part of the strengthening of Britain’s military presence in the region.
But British officials confirmed to the Financial Times that the vessel, currently in Portsmouth, wasn’t being prepared for any Iran-related activity, while a Downing Street spokesman said “no decision has been made to deploy it”.
Trump’s mockery: ‘We don’t need anyone to join after we won’
The abrupt change in official rhetoric comes hours after President Trump’s scathing social media post, in which he attacked the idea of Britain sending military reinforcements.
Trump said: “The United Kingdom, our formerly great ally and perhaps the greatest of all, is finally seriously considering sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East… It’s okay, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them anymore but we’ll remember… We don’t need people who join wars after we’ve already won them!”
Despite backing down on the carrier’s deployment, Starmer’s aides sought to downplay the impact of Trump’s remarks, describing a 20-minute phone call between the two leaders on Sunday as constructive. They denied that the US president played any role in changing military plans.
At the same time, British Defense Secretary John Healy revealed to the House of Commons practical support provided by his country to allies in the region, pointing out, the launch of air defense flights in support of the United Arab Emirates, deployed additional air operations experts to assist the Allies in managing airspace, two drones (one over Jordan and the other heading for Bahrain) were shot down by British Typhoon jets.
Allow the United States to use Britain’s Raveer Ford Air Base to launch strikes against Iranian targets.
The developments come amid strained relations between London and Washington, following Britain’s refusal last week to play a greater role in supporting US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Popular opposition appears to be playing a role in the government’s cautious stance, with a YouGov poll showing that 59% of Britons oppose military action, up 10 percentage points from last week.
The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, called on the Prime Minister to cancel King Charles’ upcoming state visit to the United States in April, in protest against the war.
Although Downing Street hasn’t officially confirmed the increase, informed sources suggest that planning is still ongoing.
