A fresh update from Cyprus has emerged after officials criticised the Prime Minister for not doing enough to protect British citizens.

Good Morning Britain issued a fresh update on the Cyprus att@ck – and it’s bad news for 𝘒𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 (Image: ITV)

Reports have emerged detailing another delay in Keir 𝘒𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳’s plans to provide military aid to protect a British base in Cyprus. The claim appeared on Good Morning Britain on Thursday (March 5), as guest hosts Kate Garraway and Paul Brand brought the latest news hitting the headlines. It didn’t take long before things turned political, as the dynamic duo discussed the Prime Minister’s next steps in the U.S.-Israeli war.

To get a more detailed update on the story, the pair welcomed Jonathan Swain onto the show, who was presenting live from Cyprus as he shared the worrying development. He explained that a warship being readied for Cyprus won’t leave Portsmouth until next week. It comes as officials in Cyprus have criticised the UK government for not doing enough to protect its citizens.

Kate began: “This is a concern and a delay, too, isn’t it? We now know that the warship HMS Dragon was due to sail to Cyprus to protect that airbase, but won’t even leave Portsmouth until next week, and may take another week to get there. So, what’s the response been to that news there [in Cyprus?].”

Swain replied: “You could say that Britain is all at sea with these delays and dithering, but what isn’t at sea is this Royal Navy warship, HMS Dragon. We were told on Tuesday (March 3) that it’s going to be deployed to the shores of Cyprus, we’re now being told, though, that it won’t leave Portsmouth, because it’s still being loaded up with ammunition, until next week.

“And then, it’s going to take between five and seven days to get here. In that time, the RAF base here, Akrotiri, and the people on this island are vulnerable to drone att@cks from Iran. Now this hasn’t just angered the authorities here in Cyprus, it’s also angered the Gulf states, who accused the Prime Minister of failing to do enough to protect British citizens in this region.”

Cyprus and the US have slammed Keir 𝘒𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 for his slow response to war in the Middle East (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

It comes after the High Commissioner of Cyprus to the UK, Kyriacos Kouros, has told The Times: “The French are coming because they have an aircraft carrier on the way. The least we expect is the Britons to also be present since, as I said, we are not only defending Cypriots on the islands.”

The Ministry of Defence [MoD] have said they are taking “significant and concrete steps” to protect its assets and the people of Cyprus, referring to the jets on the base that shoot down drones and the warship which is on its way. US President  Don@ld T.r.u.m.p has also criticised the UK this week, saying the “special relationship is ruined because of Britain’s response to this conflict.” However, the Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, played this down.

He told ITV News: ” Don@ld T.r.u.m.p has his particular way, his particular rhetoric. I think your viewers recognise that. He’s been pretty sharp on occasion about Emmanuel Macron, but the world goes on, and I’m saying we have the closest of special relationships [with the US].”

It didn’t take long before viewers flocked to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share their disappointment online, with one user penning: “British history is full of military disasters – and this one is right there with them.” Another agreed: “Sounds like the government’s about as much use as a chocolate teapot! If they can’t sort a warship out on time, how can we trust them to keep us safe?”

A third chimed in with: “UK pledging to reinforce the base in Akrotiri, up steps France and Greece, who dispatched two frigates and four F-16s. They’re laughing at the UK while HMS Dragon’s still sat in dock not ready to go until ‘next week. Labour, you’re embarrassing [eye-rolling emoji].”