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UK considers sending Royal Navy destroyer to Cyprus
Dan Sabbagh
You can now read the full story on our earlier reports in the blog that the government is considering sending warship HMS Duncan to Cyprus, here:
John Healey, the defence secretary, is considering sending a Royal Navy destroyer to Cyprus to help defend British bases there after several apparently hostile drones targeted RAF Akrotiri on the island.
Defence sources said a deployment of HMS Duncan, currently in Portsmouth, was under discussion as a way to better protect the base in Cyprus – though another said it was possible one of two other destroyers might be sent as an alternative.
HMS Duncan is specialised in counter-drone operations and last month was engaged on a test exercise off the coast of Wales facing swarms of drones, before hosting a family day on Friday. It is not clear how ready it is to set sail.
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Spring forecast: Reeves insists Labour has ‘right economic plan’ as 2026 growth downgraded
Heather Stewart
Rachel Reeves insisted Labour has “the right economic plan” for a world that has become “yet more uncertain” as she delivered a spring forecast that downgraded growth for this year.
The chancellor was addressing MPs against the backdrop of surging energy prices, as investors fret about the impact of the spiralling conflict in the Middle East. The cost of a barrel of Brent crude was up another 7% on Tuesday, at $83.20.
Reeves said she was in close touch with the Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, as they monitor the situation and would meet representatives of the North Sea energy industry on Wednesday.
You can also follow our live coverage here:
UK considers sending Royal Navy destroyer to Cyprus
Dan Sabbagh
You can now read the full story on our earlier reports in the blog that the government is considering sending warship HMS Duncan to Cyprus, here:
John Healey, the defence secretary, is considering sending a Royal Navy destroyer to Cyprus to help defend British bases there after several apparently hostile drones targeted RAF Akrotiri on the island.
Defence sources said a deployment of HMS Duncan, currently in Portsmouth, was under discussion as a way to better protect the base in Cyprus – though another said it was possible one of two other destroyers might be sent as an alternative.
HMS Duncan is specialised in counter-drone operations and last month was engaged on a test exercise off the coast of Wales facing swarms of drones, before hosting a family day on Friday. It is not clear how ready it is to set sail.
The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has insisted in her Spring forecast that her economic plan is ‘even more important’ given Middle East crisis.
Her statement comes amid backdrop of economic and geopolitical turmoil, including gas prices at three-year high.
If you are wondering why we aren’t covering here, it is because my colleague Graeme Wearden is doing a thorough job of it in our business blog:
Council halts legal action against Home Office over asylum seeker accommodation
Diane Taylor
A council at the centre of a row about Home Office’s decision to use a cadet training camp in Crowborough, East Sussex, to accommodate asylum seekers, confirmed on Tuesday morning it will not be pursuing or supporting any further legal action against the Home Office for its use of the site.
In a statement Wealden District Council officials said they had been advised that to pursue a new judicial review against the Home Office’ is unlikely to achieve anything of practical value and that a claim could be counterproductive. The council’s view is it would be morally wrong to stay silent about this legal advice, because to do so would raise false hope and would probably be a waste of taxpayer’s money.’
Resident group Crowborough Shield’s legal challenge was rejected in the high court last Friday because the judge deemed them to have jumped the gun by starting the claim before the Home Office had made its final decision about moving asylum seekers on to the site. Residents have staged 17 weekly demonstrations protesting about use of the site for asylum seekers.
The council statement added that lawyers have not identified any legal argument that would stop the home secretary from using Crowborough Camp for asylum accommodation.
Leader of the council, Councillor James Partridge, said, “Whilst this comes as a major disappointment to us all, it would be wrong of the council to remain silent about its legal advice. We all wanted to stop the Home Office as this camp is good for no one. The Home Office has failed Crowborough. But to keep fighting a legal challenge that is doomed to fail helps nobody.
UK government charter flight will take off from Oman 'in the coming days', says home secretary
A government charter flight will take off from Muscat, Oman, “in the coming days”, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has told the Commons.
Cooper said that Britain was working with airlines on increasing capacity out of Muscat, Oman to prioritise the evacuation of vulnerable British nationals.
Cooper said she was in close contact with her counterparts in the Gulf countries, where 130,000 British citizens have now registered their presence in the region.
“We are also working with airlines on increasing capacity out of Muscat for British nationals, with priority for vulnerable nationals,” Cooper said.
“A government charter fight will fly from Muscat in the coming days, prioritising vulnerable nationals, but British nationals in Oman must wait to be contacted by the Foreign Office regarding these options.“
As a reminder, the spring forecast coverage is being led by Graeme Wearden in our business live blog. Rachel Reeves is set to begin delivering her statement from 12.30pm:
Hamish Falconer, a Foreign Office minister and former diplomat, was next to answer questions from MPs. He was asked about illegal Israeli settlement expansion and pressed on whether the government is going to do more to show its opposition through practical measures.
Q: Labour’s Middlesbrough and Thornaby East MP, Andy McDonald: Given the scale of sanctions that the UK is willing to impose on Russia, when will the government impose meaningful trade measures, arms controls and sanctions that match the scale of Israel’s illegal actions?
A: Falconer: My friend, is right in his characterisation in the increase in settlements. That increase has also been accompanied by a very concerning increase in settler violence itself. I know many members will have been shocked by some of the footage that they have seen of these incidents.
The foreign secretary has raised these issues directly, including the risks of instability that they cause with Israel’s foreign minister, foreign minister Sa’ar in New York last month. We will not accept attempts to advance settlement expansion under the cover of regional instability. We will consider concrete steps in accordance with international law to counter this expansion.
Cooper said she announced nearly 300 new sanctions against Russian revenue streams and military supply chains on her diplomatic visit to Kyiv last week.
“We are going more broadly, not just around the shadow fleet and directly on oil and gas companies in Russia itself, but also targeting, those that might support them in third countries as well. But this was our largest Russian sanctions package since 2022. And it’s important that we get other countries to support that as well.”
Russia has been accused of finding ways to circumvent European sanctions.
Answering questions in the Commons, the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, stressed the importance of continuing to support Ukraine.
“This is about our security as well as Ukraine’s security,” Cooper said, as she outlined the UK government’s military support to Kyiv and the sanctions imposed on Russia, targeting Moscow’s shadow fleet, along with sectors of the country’s economy.
The government has estimated that UK, EU and US sanctions have denied Russia access to at least $450bn since February 2022, when the full-scale invasion of Ukraine was launched.
UK considering sending warship to Cyprus to defend RAF airbase
Dan Sabbagh
John Healey, the defence secretary, is considering sending Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duncan to Cyprus to help defend the Akrotiri RAF airbase from any future drone attacks.
Though a final decision has not been made, multiple sources said a deployment of the warship, currently in Portsmouth, was under discussion as a way to better protect the base in Cyprus.
HMS Duncan is specialised in counter drone operations and last month was engaged on a test exercise off the coast of Wales facing swarms of drones, before hosting a family day on Friday.
No major Navy warships are currently in or have been sent to the Middle East, even though the conflict is now in its fourth day, while concerns have been raised about the ease of which Akrotiri’s air defences were breached.
One drone, thought by Cypriot authorities to have been flown from Hezbollah controlled territory in Lebanon, crashed on to the runway at around midnight yesterday and two other drones were intercepted thereafter.
It would take several days for the HMS Duncan to reach Cyprus from Portsmouth as it travels at about 30 knots (34.5mph).
Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, Ellie Chowns called for a parliamentary vote on “any UK involvement in this war”.
“We are not at war,” Keir Starmer responded, adding: “We are not getting involved in offensive action that the US and Israel are taking.”
