British ministers were told weeks in advance that the US-Israel attack on Iran was highly likely but ‘didn’t do enough’ to prepare, a former diplomat has claimed.  

Ameer Kotecha, who stepped down from his Foreign Office post as head of Palestinian issues at the British embassy in Tel Aviv this week, revealed that the Government had ample notice of the attacks and said he was ‘surprised’ that HMS Dragon was still not deployed.

‘It’s the politicians that make those really big calls, so I don’t want to blame the officials for that decision, but I was surprised,’ he told Sky News. 

Mr Kotecha added that the limited response from the UK government to the crisis is partly due to ‘poor planning’, a lack of preparedness for war and decades of defence cuts.

The Type 45 destroyer, whose mission is to safeguard a British base in Cyprus following last weekend’s Iranian drone strikes, is not due to leave Portsmouth until next week as it still needs to be loaded with missiles, crewed for the deployment, and last-minute maintenance needs to take place.

The former diplomat praised Simon Walters, the British ambassador in Tel Aviv, saying he was ‘aware’ of the probable conflict and that he was ‘reporting those conversations back to London’ weeks before it happened.

Questioned on his claims that warnings about the conflict had not been paid attention to, and whether he meant the government had not done enough, he responded by saying: ‘I think that that’s right. They didn’t do enough. 

‘I mean this ship, HMS Dragon, I think is going to arrive in theatre two weeks after it’s needed,’ he continued.

Ameer Kotecha, who stepped down from his Foreign Office post as head of Palestinian issues at the British embassy in Tel Aviv this week, revealed that the Government had ample notice of the attacks and said he was ‘surprised’ that HMS Dragon was still not deployed

Type 45 air defence destroyer HMS Dragon (pictured loading with missiles) will not be ready to set sail for the Eastern Mediterranean from Portsmouth until next week

People gather on the sides of a road as smoke rises in the background following an explosion in Tehran yesterday 

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been criticised over deciding to deploy HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer, to protect the RAF Akrotiri base in the Eastern Mediterranean on Tuesday, more than 72 hours after the conflict in the Middle East began.      

Mr Kotecha added that the UK government ‘could have done a lot more’ but claimed that ministers have either ‘been caught off guard or actively didn’t want to take those steps, because they are beholden in many ways to a very rigid interpretation of international law’.

The former diplomat, who spent more than 10 years at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, returned home from Tel Aviv just over a fortnight ago with his final day at the department was on Tuesday. 

Explaining his decision to quit, Mr Kotecha said: ‘Rather than a really clear-sighted, level-headed assessment of what’s in the national interest and what’s good for the UK, we’re instead having our entire foreign policy dictated by what the lawyers tell us international law requires.

‘I’ve taken my duty of civil service impartiality seriously, but the frustrations have got too much and frankly I think the system is broken. I’m ashamed to serve this Government, so I’ve decided to throw the towel in.’

A spokesperson for the government responded to Mr Kotecha’s allegations, saying: ‘As the Prime Minister outlined, the UK moved defensive assets to Cyprus and Qatar in January and February including fighter jets, air defence missiles and advanced radar, to ensure we were in a heightened state of readiness in advance of any conflict beginning.

‘Those jets were immediately put into the sky when strikes began, and we are reinforcing our military presence in Cyprus.

‘This government’s priority remains the safety of British nationals in the region and reaching a negotiated settlement on Iran.’

The deployment of HMS Dragon to Cyprus has been delayed amid claims from union officials that the naval base responsible for its repairs only operates on a ‘nine-to-five, Monday-to-Friday’ schedule.

According to the Prospect union, the delays of the deployment of the HMS Dragon are a direct result of ‘cost-cutting’ measures introduced by the Ministry of Defence and private contractor Serco. 

The union alleges that the Portsmouth naval base has abandoned its around-the-clock staffing model in favour of a standard 9-to-5, weekday-only operation.

General secretary of Prospect, Mike Clancy, said: ‘Our members are stepping up to help, but such a vital service shouldn’t be dependent on goodwill from staff. Out-of-hours support should be locked into the contract.

‘This contract has failed its first real encounter with a serious crisis, and must be urgently reviewed and rectified.’

It comes after RAF Akroitiri was hit by an Iranian drone fired from Lebanon on Sunday, raising major concerns about the standard of local air defences.

HMS Dragon, a Type 45 Daring-class air-defence destroyer warship, is pictured moored at the HMNB Portsmouth Upper Harbour Ammunition Facility (UHFC), outside HM Naval Base Portsmouth, on the south coast of England

UK Defence Secretary John Healey meets F-35 pilot who shot down a drone as they walk past British typhoon and F-35 jets at RAF Akrotiri on March 5

Officials said the damage was minor, but on Thursday, it was revealed that the drone hit a hangar used by the US for U2 spy planes flying high-altitude reconnaissance missions.

After France agreed to send frigates to protect the island, Sir Keir on Tuesday ordered Type 45 air defence destroyer to sail to the region.

But it will not be ready to set sail from Portsmouth until next week, having been disarmed for planned maintenance, and could take a further week to get there. 

Al Carns, a defence minister, said the ship would not leave until engineers had finished ‘a variety of different bits of maintenance’.

As a result, it will arrive in Cyprus after warships from France and Spain.

According to a Politico report, the Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Serco Marine Services last May that effectively ended 24-hour staffing at the port.

Prospect, the union representing engineers and tug boat workers, claims this reduced capacity has forced its members to volunteer for evening and weekend shifts just to get the destroyer battle-ready following recent escalations in the Middle East.

Serco countered Prospect’s claims, asserting that the contract defines the core working day as 7 am to 7 pm and includes overtime provisions. 

A spokesman for Serco said: ‘HMS Dragon is being prepared to sail, with the full support of our dedicated teams in Portsmouth.

‘Serco has fulfilled every task requested by the Royal Navy on time and to the agreed standard.

‘Any suggestion that the working patterns of Serco employees have impacted HMS Dragon’s ability to sail is completely untrue.’