Royal Navy crumbled under successive governments and will soon no longer be able to defend our seas

BRITAIN is a proud island nation.

For centuries the Royal Navy has ­protected us and, when called upon, the world. Not for much longer.

The Navy has a usable fleet of just 17 frigates and destroyers.

It’s scandalous that governments and pen-pushers have allowed our brave force to slip so much.

If the Navy was called upon to sail to the Falklands or to the Arabian Gulf, Britain would be dangerously exposed.

And that’s without considering the pressure from evil people traffickers trying to breach our coasts to drop off scores of scared illegal migrants.

Warnings about the slicing of military budgets are not new. Thousands of servicemen and women were given the boot as mandarins ­ushered in cuts.

The cuts must stop. Angry MPs need to deliver more than damning reports. Actions must follow the words.

Hostile foreign powers and merciless jihadis won’t warn us.

We need to get ready.

Whine Rooney

WAYNE Rooney should stop whining.

He’s not being treated disrespectfully. He’s the captain of England and he and his multi-millionaire pals need to start taking some personal responsibility.

Want to avoid scrutiny? Don’t booze until 5am or drive hundreds of miles to a strip club when you’re supposed to be representing your country.

And don’t bleat like a spoiled child when the worst you face is questions about your outlandish behaviour.

The men and women who hand over their hard-earned cash to keep the ­Premeriship elite in luxury would love to have such pressures.

Get real, Wayne.

Trump card play

IT’S a smart move to invite Donald Trump to meet the Queen.

We need to build new trade bridges as Brexit bites. And there are few bigger markets than the US.

It’s also a clever Downing Street sidestep around Nigel Farage. Who needs a go-between when you’ve got the Queen?

Still, no Buck House improvement tips, eh Donald?