HMS Dragon – Britain’s only high-end destroyer in the Middle East region – has now spent a full month at Souda Bay in Crete, 920 kilometres away. It arrived there on 23 March after a short patrol of Cyprus…
Dragon’s operation has been marred by what the MoD said was a “minor technical issue” which led to its routing to port for a “routine logistics stop and a short maintenance period.” Experts say the freshwater system was likely not functioning properly. The MoD insists “the destroyer will remain at high readiness”…
Navy Lookout says crewmen are undergoing a “mix of defect repair, systems calibration and force preparation.” It remains on Crete…
Iran’s foreign minister Seyed Abbas Aragchi on X:
“In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran.”
Trump’s reaction:
“IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE. THANK YOU!”
It would be the perfect embodiment of Starmerism for the PM to fly to Paris for a few pointless Zoom calls on the day the Strait is re-opened anyway. Let’s see…
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the economy grew by 0.5% in February, following upwardly revised growth of 0.1% in January. The Iran war beginning on the 27th of February will have something to say about March’s figures…
ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said: “Growth increased further in the three months to February led by broad-based increases across services… Meanwhile, car production recovered from the effects of the autumn cyber incident. Growth in services and production was partially offset by another fall in construction.”
Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle told Sky News this morning that “we have busted a gut to get growth in our economy” and there is “real frustration” in Labour that the war in Iran will now ruin this trajectory. SpAds are no doubt hoping this level of Iran-blaming spin will sustain them for the next three years…
Trump just now on Truth Social:
“China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz. I am doing it for them, also – And the World. This situation will never happen again. They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran. President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks. We are working together smartly, and very well! Doesn’t that beat fighting??? BUT REMEMBER, we are very good at fighting, if we have to – far better than anyone else!!! President DJT”
He has also shared Jerome Starkey’s piece in the Sun, which features the headline “If hot air was a weapon Starmer would have rearmed Britain”…
The (likely outgoing) Welsh First Minister’s “huge” intervention on Trump has fallen entirely on deaf ears. Oh no! Anyway…
Lobby journalists were quick to salivate over Eluned Morgan’s call for Starmer to block a US radar base in Wales because he is an “unreliable partner.” This ineffective vote-buying trick is described as a “major escalation in pressure on Starmer”…
Morgan gave her remarks on pausing the AUKUS radar project in Pembrokeshire first to the Times before publishing a video about it on X. Which after two full hours has got three likes, one repost, and about 500 views…
X is itself packed with political junkies compared to the general voting population. Can you hear the polls heaving over in Labour’s favour? Oh – you can’t?
Trump has taken another swipe at Keir Starmer, this time in a phone interview with Sky News‘ Mark Stone. Even threatening to rip up the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal agreed last year…
“It’s sad… and we gave them a good trade deal. Better than I had to. Which can always be changed…
“I love your country and I would love to see it succeed. But if you have bad immigration policies and bad energy policies, you have the worst of both. You can’t succeed, not possible.”
He added it was a “tragic mistake” not to drill in the North Sea. Meanwhile Reeves in DC for face-to-face talks with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent just a day after attacking the “folly” of Trump’s actions in Iran. Good luck…
Red Wall Labour backbencher Jonathan Brash told GB News that Starmer should resign:
“I’m completely fed up about it, and I think it’s got to the point now where I genuinely think that, as far as the Prime Minister is concerned, it’s not a case of if, it’s when.”