DAILY MAIL COMMENT: How Britain’s been debased by Starmer

Seven days have now passed in the new Iranian war. One of Britain’s most frequently quoted political maxims, attributed to Harold Wilson, is that a week is a long time in politics.

The phrase is often used to reflect how quickly the fortunes of ministers, their policies and their parties can change.

But with deep sadness, this past week has shown us that Mr. Wilson’s observations apply equally to the fate of our country and its place on the world stage.

Britain’s international standing has unquestionably deteriorated since last Saturday, when the first missiles were launched at Tehran, thanks to Sir Keir Starmer’s hesitation and hesitancy to support our ally.

Britain was once the world’s leading military power. Despite the deprivations brought about by the Second World War, we have played a key role in NATO since its establishment. But it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that under this cowardly Prime Minister, centuries of reputation have been thrown aside.

The Metropolitan Police announced yesterday that it had arrested four men, including one Iranian and three British-Iranians, on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service.

Even before this development, it was clear that the Iranian mullahs did not pose a distant threat limited to the Middle East. They pose a threat here and now.

It is true that our military has been underinvested in for decades, hurting their capabilities and readiness.

There have been numerous, repeated warnings from senior military officials and expert analysts that the British Armed Forces no longer have enough men or materiel. The Regular Army is at its smallest since the Napoleonic Wars.

Successive governments must share responsibility for this.

But even as our military faced these inexcusable shortcomings, there was at least an assumption that our political leaders would do the right thing. Not anymore. Not under this Labor Government.

And not under Starmer, who is and always will be a human rights lawyer who has nothing to do with the military.

Labor may believe in a huge, spoon-fed public sector, but the only government department that doesn’t practice this largesse is the Ministry of Defence.

This must change. There are simple savings that could spend billions of dollars on defense if the Prime Minister and his mediocre cabinet had the courage to act.

These include tackling overspending on the welfare state, leaving the European Convention on Human Rights to help secure Britain’s border, and cutting aid to migrants as a result.

Sir Keir Starmer gave an update on the situation in the Middle East in the Downing Street Briefing Room on Thursday.

If another energy crisis were to occur as oil flows to the Middle East stop, another important move would be to ease the tax and regulatory burden on British businesses, so they can act quickly against global pressures.

Over the past few years, it has become clear that the world faces a multitude of threats: from Tehran, to an emboldened Beijing, to a bloodthirsty Kremlin hungry for territory in Europe. Having an unpredictable president in the White House makes things even more complicated. After the last seven days, it seems like a new and dangerous page has opened in world history.

In this context Labour’s old obsessions – ‘class warfare’, bowing to unions and funneling money to supporters through the benefits system – look more indulgent and irresponsible than ever.