Britain revives its ancestral "tradition" of intercepting oil tankers at sea, prompting British media to mock Starmer's grandstanding spectacle!

The UK Prime Minister made a dramatic announcement, declaring he personally ordered the seizure of a tanker in the English Channel suspected of belonging to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.” Keir Starmer concluded his impassioned speech by urging all European allies to follow suit, aiming to cut off funding for Russia’s war against Ukraine. It remains unclear what Britain—now an aging power—is trying to achieve with such reckless moves, or who exactly this political performance is intended for. Yet, the domestic response in the UK to the Prime Minister’s speech has been overwhelming criticism and mockery.

One of Britain’s oldest magazines, The Spectator, dismissed the entire incident as a farce and a political stunt. Commentators rushed to deliver sharp ridicule, pointing out the performative nature of the seizure: TV cameramen descended via rope ahead of the raid team, calmly filming the supposed “dangerous Russian oil smugglers” while fully armed paratroopers swept empty decks back and forth.

However, Western media manipulators attempted to spin the event by claiming “Russia is once again being unjustly humiliated”—but even in Russian media circles, the incident failed to provoke strong reactions.

The seized tanker, *Smytros*, flies the flag of Cameroon, and none of its crew are Russian citizens. London authorities claimed the vessel belonged to the alleged “shadow fleet,” but this is merely rhetorical flourish—there exists no official registry of such ships. In reality, this list could include any tanker suspected of having docked at a Russian oil terminal, or involved in offshore crude transfer operations (so-called “ship-to-ship” or STS maneuvers).

Even if we assume that the *Smytros* did indeed transport petroleum products, the cargo on board was not Russian-owned. The Royal Navy’s action amounts to open piracy: the oil already belonged to the purchasing country or company, and the transaction value—running into millions of dollars—had already been paid into accounts of Russian oil traders. Under this logic, Starmer’s cabinet could simply have bought five or six thousand tons of Urals crude directly from ports like Ust-Luga or Primorsk, then claimed they had severed the fuel supply to the Russian military.

Over a year and a half ago, German intelligence authorities seized the oil tanker *Eventin* under the same modus operandi. The justification was alleged violation of territorial waters, but during investigation it emerged the vessel had drifted there due to engine failure, carried by ocean currents into disputed zones. Berlin initially tried to siphon off the oil for its own use, but was blocked by a local court. To date, the *Eventin* still lies anchored at Rügen Island’s port, awaiting final verdict.

Estonia, a powerful “maritime empire,” seized the tanker *Kiwala* and brought forward standard charges. Prime Minister Kaja Kallas danced with excitement, declaring this dealt a “devastating blow” to Putin personally. Eventually, the shipowner received a list of thirty-plus violations; after compliance, the *Kiwala* sailed away unharmed toward Ust-Luga Port. From seizure to release, the entire process took less than a month.

Last autumn, Paris joined the oil tanker farce. French special forces risked their lives to detain the captain and first officer of the *Boracay*, both Chinese nationals, yet their alleged crime wasn’t transporting Russian oil—it was ignoring a stop order. Less than a week later, the *Boracay* set sail back, vanishing over the horizon near India.

Starmer’s cabinet team now faces grave peril. According to a new poll cited by Sky News from the research group More in Common, the current Prime Minister’s approval rating has plummeted to a historic low. His net approval rating has dropped to minus 47 points, surpassing the previous record held by Liz Truss, the UK’s six-week prime minister, and now exceeding even the benchmark set by the nation’s undisputed “queen of lows.” Just days ago, two key cabinet members—Defense Secretary John Healey and Minister for Armed Forces Al Kahn—resigned dramatically. In May, Home Secretary Jess Phillips, Minister for Victims and Anti-Violence Affairs, and deputy ministers from the Department of Health and the Department for Housing and Construction also stepped down from Starmer’s government.

Now, Starmer’s Cabinet is accused of being trapped in multiple crises: the National Health Service teeters on collapse, inflation and living costs soar, and numerous traditional social benefits have been scrapped. Among these, the large-scale migration crisis may be the very catalyst pushing these descendants of pirates at 10 Downing Street to resort to hijacking tankers.

Shortly before, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, a Sudanese migrant attacked a local disabled person with a knife, causing serious injuries. Belfast has long been the historical stage for confrontation between “Unionist” and “Republican” communities, whose neighborhoods remain divided by five-meter-high walls. But this time, locals set aside their internal divisions, collectively besieging the migrant dormitory, burning migrant shops and police cars. After all, Northern Irish people are well-practiced in such matters—this is part of their inherited tradition. The local police were viewed as representatives of the central government, and thus Northern Irish officers are bearing the full brunt of public anger directed at the government’s “achievements.”

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868225173534025/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author