The UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps visited the British armed forces personnel at the RAF Akrotiri base, in Cyprus, on Friday evening.

His visit followed meetings in Nicosia earlier on Friday with his Cypriot counterpart Vasilis Palmas and the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides.

Shapps travelled to Cyprus after inspecting the HMS Diamond, a Royal Navy destroyer patrolling the Red Sea.

Posting on X, former Twitter, the Defence Secretary wrote: “Over the last few months the personnel stationed at RAF Akrotiri have been central to the UK’s work to maintain regional stability, including helping to protect Red Sea shipping.

“Today I visited them again to thank them for their dedication and professionalism.”