Saturday, July 4th 2026 - 23:35 UTC
In an interview with The Sun, West, said, “the bottom line is that Keir Starmer hasn’t really worried about the size of the Navy and he has allowed it to be marginalized”. (Pic PA)
Former First Sea Lord Admiral Lord West has warned that the Royal Navy was in its worst state for 350 years, “the number of ships we have is pathetic, to do the things we need to do.”
Lord West added: “The last time the Navy took this sort of hammering was in Samuel Pepys time [1667] and the Dutch sailed up to Chatham, burnt the fleet and stole the flagship.”
In an interview with The Sun, West, who commanded the frigate HMS Ardent which was sunk in Falklands War, added: “The bottom line is that Keir Starmer hasn’t really worried about the size of the Navy and he has allowed it to be marginalized.
