Prime Minister address to troops at RAF Akrotiri

Readout of the Prime Minister's address to troops at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus this morning.

"Thank you very much. Can I just say it's a real privilege to be able to come and see you here this morning. I came for one purpose and that was to stand here and have the opportunity to say to you a very simple thing, but a really important thing, which is: thank you.

Thank you for everything that you do for our country. And I say that as me. I say that as Prime minister, head of the government on behalf of the government. But I also importantly say on behalf of so many citizens back in the UK who would love to be able to stand here and see you and say thank you.

Millions of people in the UK who would love to be on this stage, having the opportunity to personally say to you, thank you on their behalf, on behalf of their families and their communities for what you're doing because they're so proud of what you do. They don't have that opportunity. But through me, I want to extend that to you, and I want you to feel that from across the whole of the country, because here you are, a long way from home.

But back at home, everybody so appreciates what you were doing. And I think it's very important at the end of the year as we come towards Christmas, I've seen some of the decorations up on my way in, but it is a period, to remember that not everybody here will necessarily have their family with them. Some will, some won't.

Many of you will be missing out on the wider family experience, back at home, but also, is the time to reflect towards the end of the year or what for you has been an incredibly busy year. When I say thank you. I want to extend that to all of your families and the staff and everybody that forms the team here, because they've also made a huge contribution.

You do it year in, year out, wherever you are. But this year, I think, particularly from this base, has been extraordinarily busy because the challenges, have been intense. And we've asked you over and over again to step up whether that's Operation Shader, which of course has been ongoing for some time, whether that's, the work that you do dropping stuff in Gaza, a much needed, difficult work.

But also the evacuation work, which a number of you will have been involved in. And I know from the planning that we had to do for the evacuation, that that was chopping and changing. We didn't quite know what the plan would have to be when it would have to be executed, if it would have to be executed.

But I want you to know that when I was making decisions about what we would do when we would do it with my senior team in Downing Street, I knew that you would step up. I knew you'd be professional. I knew that I could say not just to my team and to our country, but I could say to allies that we would be ready to do whatever was necessary when it was necessary.

And that's because I had complete faith in you. And thank you for that, because it gave me the confidence to have those meetings with international leaders and to say the UK will play its part. The UK will be ready. And that's because I had complete trust and faith in what you do, what you're capable of and your professionalism.

And I know that the plan chopped and changed. I know that you had to prep for one scenario, and then it was a different scenario.

And then the timings changed, and nothing was certain, as it never is. But each time I knew you would be ready. And the Defence Secretary, John Healey, came out earlier in the year, and he had quite a bit of time here on the base.

And he was taken through the plans that have been drawn up by you and your colleagues, in great detail as to what was going to happen. And I could tell you, he came back absolutely enthusiastic about your capabilities and absolutely reinforced, in what you were doing here. And that is why at this time of year, I think a thanks to all of you is due, and it should be delivered personally.

It's very important that you get to hear it personally. But I recognise it's been a really important, busy, busy year. And this is this space obviously, sort of has multi dimensions to it. There's a lot of different work that goes on. I'm also aware, that some or quite a bit of what goes on here can't necessarily be talked about all of the time.

Although we're really proud of what you're doing. We can't necessarily tell the world what you're doing here, and therefore it makes it really important to say thank you to acknowledge that, because although we're not saying it to the whole world for reasons that are obvious to you, the whole world is relying on you, and everybody back at home is relying on you and knowing that you will be there.

So a big thanks from me. The service - there's no higher service than the service that you give to our country. I talk about service in politics, but the service you give first hand to your country, to make us safe, as a country and our allies. Safe in a really volatile time. At the moment in the world, that is the highest form of service.

I am grateful. The country is grateful. I hope that over the Christmas period, you do get a little bit of time just to reflect and relax at the end of what has been a really challenging year. But for me, it's a thank you on behalf of the whole country. Thank you so much for what you do. We really appreciate we're proud of people making us proud.

Thank you so much."