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Sir Keir Starmer has come under fire from influential parliamentarians, who accused him of insufficient foresight and readiness during a rigorous grilling session concerning the UK’s military preparedness, as geopolitical tensions escalate in the Middle East.

His Monday appearance before the House of Commons liaison committee saw him confront a torrent of critiques from both Labour and Conservative committee heads. The proceedings grew increasingly contentious, with Starmer being pressed on whether the United Kingdom was, in effect, “at war” in light of recent regional developments.

This challenging parliamentary encounter unfolded just hours before the Prime Minister was slated to chair an urgent meeting later that same Monday. This subsequent gathering was anticipated to focus on the domestic ramifications of the conflict, particularly its impact on the cost of living. Even with President Donald Trump’s recent declaration of a ceasefire in the area, Starmer admitted to MPs that he could not provide a firm timeline for the cessation of hostilities.

The escalating political pressure in Westminster mirrors a growing public unease across Britain. New polling data from Ipsos, released shortly before the committee hearing, indicated that public apprehension regarding national defense had more than doubled over the past month. The figures showed that the proportion of people worried about the UK’s defence capabilities surged from 16 percent to 31 percent, making it the third most pressing concern for voters, surpassed only by immigration and the economy.

A pivotal point of contention during the inquiry centred on the perceived inability of the Royal Navy to project its power effectively in the Mediterranean. Military focussed skeptics questioned why the UK appeared so poorly equipped to safeguard its sovereign bases in Cyprus when President Trump initiated military actions against Iran.

The committee highlighted a “deeply embarrassing” situation where French and Greek governments were able to deploy naval assets to secure the waters around Cyprus before the UK could mobilise its own forces. Although the destroyer HMS Dragon was eventually dispatched, it emerged that the vessel required six days of hurried preparations before it could depart, leaving a significant gap in regional security during the initial phase of the conflict.

The Prime Minister visibly expressed his displeasure when a committee member reminded him that Winston Churchill did not require a protracted defense review to manage Britain’s security during the Second World War.

In a sharp comeback, Sir Keir attributed the issue to the preceding Conservative administration. He cited former Conservative Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace, who had previously acknowledged that the British armed forces had been “hollowed out and underfunded” during his party’s time in office.

However, the Prime Minister also faced severe criticism from within his own party. Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, the Labour chair of the Defence Select Committee, lambasted the government’s lack of readiness. Mr. Dhesi raised urgent questions regarding in-year budget reductions for defense and demanded assurances that the government remained committed to its pledge of dedicating 2.5 percent of GDP to defense and security by 2034.

As the Prime Minister proceeded to his afternoon meeting on Monday, a prevailing sentiment of profound skepticism continued among the chairs of the parliamentary select committees regarding the government’s capacity to effectively navigate the escalating international crisis.