From a letter to the London Times today:

Having served with the Royal Navy in the Gulf, during peacetime and war, I wish to express my anger and frustration regarding the situation that has been allowed to develop with our kidnapped Service people in Iran. If, as now seems apparent, we are putting our people in harm’s way with no commitment to back them up should things take a turn for the worse, then we should cease the policy of stop-and-search in the Gulf immediately. At the time of the abduction, HMS Cornwall must have been aware of the approach of the Iranians, using her onboard sensors and those of the Lynx helicopter which was on the scene at the time. Yet apparently no effort was made, either by the heavily armed warship or the Lynx, usually armed at this time with light and heavy machineguns, to protect their sailors or prevent their capture. I know that the Marines would have hated to have given up, and would only have done so because they were directed to by their own commanders. This is another example of this Government’s willingness to commit our people to dangerous operations without the backbone or even the means to back them up.

Quite how Britain’s defence minister continues to believe that he can honorably remain in office is beyond me.