John Healey tells Commons crews working hard to prepare warship after criticism over slow response to drone attacks

HMS Dragon will set sail in “the next couple of days”, the defence secretary has said, meaning the British destroyer may not arrive in the eastern Mediterranean until after the weekend.

John Healey told the House of Commons that navy crews were working “tirelessly, 22 hours a day” to prepare the warship, as he faced accusations of not acting fast enough to protect British interests in the region.