Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleMillie CookeSaturday 11 April 2026 08:58 BSTStarmer issues 'blunt' response to Trump's 'whole civilisation will die' threatSir Ben Wallace, who served as defence secretary under three prime ministers, accused government ministers of “taking the public for fools” regarding the UK's defence readiness.He warned that deploying British warships to police the Strait of Hormuz is a “fantasy” due to depleted armed forces, risking troops being dangerously unprotected and overstretched.Wallace criticised Defence Secretary John Healey's assertion that the UK is ready to defend itself as “palpably untrue”, urging him to secure more funding and be honest with the public.Defence experts, including Dr Sidharth Kaushal from the Royal United Services Institute, supported the need for increased defence spending to address significant capability gaps, such as mine countermeasures and vessel readiness.The warnings follow a demand from Donald Trump for Nato allies to send warships to the region, while Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard stated the UK has pre-deployed autonomous mine-hunting capabilities to the Gulf.In fullSending UK ships to police Strait of Hormuz ‘a fantasy’, ex-defence secretary warnsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in