The US secretary of defence has mocked the “big, bad Royal Navy” for not joining America in its war against Iran.

Speaking from the Pentagon on Tuesday, Pete Hegseth said: “There are countries around the world who ought to be prepared to step up on this critical waterway as well.

“Last time I checked, there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy that could be prepared to do things like that as well.”

He added: “This is an international waterway that we use less than most. In fact, dramatically less than most.

“The world ought to pay attention, be prepared to stand up.”

His remarks come after Keir Starmer’s government refused the US request’s to use British military bases for preemptive strikes on Iran last month.

The UK did allow American troops to use their sites for defensive and limited strikes, though Donald Trump has continued to attack Britain for its perceived lack of support.

He compared UK aircraft carriers to “toys” and told the prime minister “not to bother” sending ships to the Gulf.

On Tuesday, he told allies “you’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself”, urging Britain to “go get your own oil” from the Strait of Hormuz as Iran continues its blockade.

Writing on TruthSocial, the president said the UK should either buy jet fuel from the US or “build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait and just TAKE IT”.

Meanwhile, the UK’s First Sea Lord has warned that the Royal Navy is not ready for war and that it “had work to do”.

Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins told Swedish newspaper Svensky Dagbladet on Monday that the Navy could still fight with what it had and that “if we were told to go to war, of course we would”.

But he added: “Are we are ready as we should be? I don’t think are. We have work to do and I am completely dedicated to the mission.”

UK defence secretary John Healey also announced on Tuesday that the UK would be deploying dozens of troops and its most advanced air defence missile system to Saudi Arabia as the Middle East conflict continues to escalate.

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The Iranian ambassador to the UK has warned attacks on British bases are under consideration in an alarming intervention.

Seyed Ali Mousavi claimed that Keir Starmer’s decision to allow US forces to use British sites for defensive and limited strikes could end up putting a target on the UK’s military.

Speaking to Times Radio, he said: “The initial position made by the prime minister Starmer is very good.

“We do appreciate, we do welcome the non-involvement in this criminal act of the American side and the Israeli regime.

“But unfortunately, now we have realised that the British Fairford military base has been serving for the B-2 and B-1 jets of the American side to be equipped by the different weapons to use against the Iranian people.

“It’s very unfortunate.”

Asked if British bases and British military assets could be legitimate targets, he replied: “This is the very important matter we are considering. This is a very important matter for our self-defence.”

He claimed the military section of their “system” will decide depending on UK “activities”.

He added: “We are very careful and delicate how to defend ourselves.”

His remarks are especially alarming, considering Starmer has repeatedly insisted that the ongoing Middle East conflict is “not our war”.

Meanwhile, Labour MP and defence select committee member Calvin Bailey has warned there is a “real risk of escalation” in the region.

The former Wing Commander told Times Radio: “There’s always a risk of escalation and that’s why it’s never desirable to enter conflict without understanding what the goals of those operations are.

“That’s why the UK remained out and didn’t follow or support the US in starting the conflict that it’s now engaged with Iran. But dealing with the consequences of it is entirely legitimate and it’s reasonable.”

He warned Britain could be dragged further into the conflict too – as could other allies and partners in the Gulf region.

“The reason why we’ve got larger numbers of forces in the region is that they’re there to protect those allies and our people that exist within their country,” Bailey said.

“We just have to make sure that the assets are there to provide protection and assurances that they expect of us.”

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The reviews are out for the new Super Mario Bros. Movie and… it sounds like the film is anything but a level-up.

While we weren’t exactly expecting the follow-up to the animated video game adaptation to be the next Citizen Kane, it’s worth pointing out that the response to the first film was, at least, somewhat mixed, and it went on to gross more than a billion dollars at the global box office, making it the 20th biggest box office earner of all time at the time of writing.

Ahead of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s release at the end of this week, critics have been having their say, and they’ve certainly not been holding back, with a smattering of two- and one-star reviews (not to mention a zero-star take from one particularly unimpressed reviewer).

Here’s a selection of what’s been said so far about The Super Mario Galaxy Movie…

“Of course it’s intended for little kids, but it surely didn’t need to be such a visually dull screensaver of a movie, with even more of the cheesy, Euro-knockoff look of that first film. And, again, the paucity of funny lines is a real puzzle.”

“It’s a supremely vacuous anti-movie that climaxes with a sequence featuring full-screen Nintendo gameplay, as if to remind us of the levels of rancid commercial whoredom we’ve reached.

“The film is torturous to sit through and, for me, provoked periods of actual physical discomfort. I had to stab myself repeatedly in the hand with a pen to distract from the howling distress. It’s that bad, and that offensive.”

“It’s testament to just how bad the original Super Mario Bros Movie was that this sequel can be a noticeable improvement in every respect – animation, storytelling, humour, vocal performances, you name it – while still comfortably qualifying as absolute rubbish.”

“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is frenetic in such an impersonal way that it feels like the entire film should be put on Ritalin […] The film treats its story as a threadbare adventure, a mere throwaway, because it’s so focused on those little pings of recognition for gamers. And that’s quite a comedown.”

“[The Super Mario Galaxy Movie] offers the adults a few pings of nostalgia, but otherwise it’s a humourless, hysterical trudge. […] The moments of fan service might keep the hardcore happy, but for everyone else over the age of five it’s just a succession of loud, bright things happening without any real point.”

“Relentlessly fast-paced and filled with hyperkinetic visuals, the sequel hits the sweet spot in terms of what its target audience wants, even if adult non-aficionados will find little of interest other than the starry vocal cast.”

“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie doubles down on its own blandness. There’s barely a plot here. Not a single memorable character. Not even another piano ditty for Jack Black to sing […] There is… one real, solid joke in this film? And it’s mostly just repeating a bit from Disney’s Zootopia.”

“A movie like this will probably make a lot of money, because it doesn’t rock the boat. But a boat that never rocks is a boat that never goes anywhere. That’s how boats work. They’re supposed to take you on a journey.

“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie doesn’t take you anywhere you haven’t been before, and it’s not as fun, it’s not as exciting, and it’s not as challenging as literally any of the games it’s based on. This is not an adaptation of the Super Mario Bros., it’s just a reminder that the franchise exists.”

“A masterpiece of game design that provides endless levels of unique planets to roam and explore, 2007’s Super Mario Galaxy is filled with moments of pure euphoric joy […] yet somehow on screen, it all registers as flat, imagination packaged into the most cleanly corporate and focus-group approved form possible.”

“While it’s likely that retro gamers won’t find anything here that wasn’t in the first movie – Yoshi and one or two others aside – it’s no doubt got enough for kids to enjoy, which will surely come as a relief for parents looking to entertain their offspring over the Easter holidays.”

“This is not a movie to be scrutinised, but to allow beleaguered elder millennial dads to sit their tots down for a precious two hours (if you count the trailers) and get some much-needed rest. It’s cute, and breezy, and rock-stupid, and will probably make a billion dollars again. Such is the world in which we live.”

“This film is even more of a manic roller coaster ride compared to the first movie, with so many gaming references packed into every scene, it’s hard to keep up. There are also a lot more power-ups used this time around, and that results in some fun and interesting combat for Mario and Luigi.”

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie arrives in cinemas on Friday.

Britain’s “special relationship” with the US has finally been put to bed by the Iran war, according to former UK government adviser.

Donald Trump has slammed Britain repeatedly over the last month over Keir Starmer’s reluctance to get involved in the Middle East conflict.

The president called British aircraft carriers “toys” and told the UK to “go get your own oil” from the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, as the Iranians continue to blockade the major shipping lane.

Trump’s secretary of defence Pete Hegseth also mocked the “big, bad Royal Navy” in a press conference this week.

Peter Ricketts, who was the British government’s first National Security adviser between 2010 and 2012, said the US’s criticism is proof there is not a particularly exceptional bond between the two countries.

He told Times Radio: “I think it should really put to bed finally, once and for all the idea of a special relationship.

“Honestly, we’ve never had a special relationship with Americans. You know, we’ve had a transactional relationship with them. that’s normally been quite a warm one.”

However, he did say that there is still plenty of “operational cooperation” between the UK and their American counterparts, despite this friction between leaders.

Ricketts said: “I do think, though, that the operational cooperation between the defence staffs and the intelligence staffs and the foreign policy people is still proceeding pretty much as it does, very professionally.

“If you look at the fact that the Americans are using British bases, that’s an example of cooperation. British planes are flying in the Gulf in defence of Gulf countries. So I think it’s like an iceberg at the top.

“Above the waves, it’s very, very choppy. Down below, out of sight, I think the operational cooperation goes on.”

Technology secretary Peter Kyle also insisted that Trump’s latest attacks had not embarrassed the government.

He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “You’re only humiliated if you allow yourself to be humiliated in the way that you act and respond.”

He insisted Starmer has acted with “dignity” throughout his time in office, taking a “cool, calm” approach towards the Trump administration.

Rosamund Pike got very honest about the making of Doom while reflecting on the early years of her career in a recent interview.

Last month, the Oscar nominee made an appearance on Elizabeth Day’s podcast How To Fail, where she was asked about some of the action movies she took part in early on in her screen career.

“It started well with James Bond,” she began, referring to her “promising start” in the movie Die Another Day, but admitted that things soon took a downward turn.

She recalled: “When I was making Pride & Prejudice, and I was having great fun in my cornfields, in my bonnet, I got a call to be in an action franchise.

“They were making a cinema version of the video game Doom, and I think in my bonnet, in my field of hay bales, [I thought] ‘yeah, I can do anything, I can jump on this hay bale in my crinoline, so I can certainly go and kill some zombies on Mars’.”

Rosamund pointed out that, initially, the film would have seen Ray Winstone in the lead role, who was subsequently replaced by Dwayne Johnson, who was still being credited as “The Rock” at this time in his own acting career.

“Suddenly I’m in this film with The Rock and I realise how utterly ill-equipped I am to be an action star,” she claimed.

“I was just out of my comfort zone, out of my league, out of my depth and the film was an absolute bomb,” Rosamund continued. “I probably could have ended my career. I mean, it was just probably one of the worst films ever made. It was a catastrophe, I think.

“As I say, I don’t read the reviews, but you get the sense like you are lucky to have survived that one. But then, it wasn’t career-ending for The Rock. Or me, as it turned out.”

However, Rosamund did come away from the project having learned an important lesson about doing her research before accepting roles.

“I didn’t know enough about video games,” she conceded. “I wasn’t the right girl to be in that.”

As Rosamund suggested, Doom was slammed by critics upon its release in 2005, currently holding a critical score of just 18% on the reviews site Rotten Tomatoes.

Doom was rebooted in 2019 with a new cast, although the movie ended up being released direct-to-video.