DAVID CAMERON doubled Britain’s fleet of deadly drones yesterday, signalling that he is set to unleash a new wave of illegal air strikes in the Middle East.

The Prime Minister, who launched a secret mission to kill British citizens in Syria this summer, announced that the RAF’s 10 Reaper drones will be replaced by “over 20” new ones.

These politically named Protector drones, which come at an undisclosed cost to taxpayers, have a greater range and endurance than existing aircraft, which will also receive upgrades.

The Tories justified the spending as a boost to Britain’s surveillance capacity but made no direct mention of the drones’ deadly weaponry.

They will “dramatically increase the UK’s ability to identify, track, deter and ultimately counter potential threats,” the party said in a statement.

The announcement came less than a month after Mr Cameron revealed RAF drones were used without MPs’ approval or international sanction to kill two Britons fighting with the Islamic State (Isis) terror group in Syria.

The PM confirmed it was the first time Britain had made a drone strike in a country where it was not at war.

Stop the War chair Lindsey German said yesterday though that the purchase of new drones underlined Mr Cameron’s desire to carry on and extend his operation.

She warned: “Drones are operated at little risk to British operatives but their use in targeted assassinations and other attacks are known to increase support for the groups attacked.

“The use of drones in Afghanistan has done nothing to end the war there, as (the Taliban capture of) Kunduz has shown.”

Parliament has rejected British bombing in Syria, but the PM hopes to win a second vote when MPs return next week.

Even if he loses the vote, the RAF’s increased drone capacity could allow him to continue launching air strikes.

The purchase of specialist equipment and clothing for Britain’s special forces was also announced as part of the government’s new “counterterrorism package.”

Making the announcement yesterday, Mr Cameron said: “National security is the first priority of this government.”

His comments suggest the Tories want to ram home their claim that Labour is a “threat to national security” under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.