Clash Over Iran: Starmer Faces Pressure for Stronger Response
UK politics heats up as UK Iran policy debate intensifies. Keir Starmer defends his stance while Kemi Badenoch demands stronger action.
Sir Keir Starmer has defended the government's approach to the fighting in Iran, saying the safety of British citizens is his "number one priority."
This comes after President Trump criticized the Prime Minister for refusing to allow the use of a UK base in the initial US-Israeli strikes on Saturday, saying he was "no Winston Churchill."
During Prime Minister's Questions, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir of "asking our allies to do what we should do ourselves" instead of taking "aggressive action" after attacks on British bases in Bahrain and Cyprus.
But the PM said he was not prepared for the UK to enter a war without "legal grounds and a well-thought-out plan."
On Sunday, the UK agreed to a US request to use a British military base, but only for defensive strikes against Iranian missile sites.
However, Trump has responded angrily to Sir Keir's refusal to participate in the initial strikes, calling the decision "shocking" and saying the UK-US relationship "is not what it used to be."
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Rejecting suggestions that relations between the two countries were weakening, Sir Keir said that operating US planes from a British base was "an act of the special relationship," not "a matter of President Trump's new rhetoric."
Sir Keir said: "We are taking action to reduce the threat, preventing attacks by flying planes over the region, deploying more capacity in Cyprus, and allowing US planes to use UK bases to destroy Iran's strike capability.
"What I was not prepared to do on Saturday was to have the UK not enter the war until I was confident there was a legal basis for it and a workable, well-thought-out plan. That's my view."
The PM said the government has already been deploying its capabilities in the region for several weeks, including radar systems, ground-based air defense, counter-drone systems, and F35 jets.
He further stated that Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities will be in Cyprus this week, and a Royal Navy warship, HMS Dragon, will also be deployed to the region.
However, Badenoch accused the PM of "stopping the shooter instead of catching the arrow."
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"I would say to Labour MPs, we are in this war, whether they like it or not." He added, "What is the Prime Minister waiting for?"
He pointed out that HMS Dragon is still in Portsmouth and the government "should do more."
The Conservative leader also criticized the government for not investing more in defense.
In response, Sir Keir accused the Conservatives of cutting the defense budget, failing to meet army recruitment targets, and leaving the military "hollow" while in government.
Following PMQs, Western officials said that HMS Dragon is expected to depart Portsmouth next week, and the warship is currently being loaded with ammunition.
Two Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters equipped with Martlet missiles capable of shooting down drones are expected to arrive in Cyprus separately and soon.
A Western official said that US bombers have not yet used the British bases of Diego Garcia or RAF Fairford – but said the UK is ready to accept them. The official said he expects them to arrive in the next few days.
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Earlier, former Conservative Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he believed the Prime Minister had made a "huge mistake" by not allowing the US to use British military bases for attacks on Iran.
Hunt said that Americans played a key role in defending Europe and that, in this situation, "weakening our alliance with the United States was a grave mistake."
"President Trump has no interest in that rules-based order," Hunt said.
"He has said that very clearly. And we must recognize that the overwhelming power of the US military is something we depend on in Europe now and will depend on for at least a decade."
General Sir Richard Shirreff, a retired British Army officer, said the UK "must look after its own interests" because "the US has made it clear it will not bear the cost of European security."
Sir Richard, a former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said it was in Britain's interest to protect its military bases abroad.
"There is absolutely a case for involvement," Sir Richard said. "But I will not, in any way, be involved in an operation whose endgame is not clear."
"There is clearly no strategy, and once again we have an American president who has launched a war of his own volition without any clear understanding of where this will end."
Meanwhile, Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer confirmed that the UK has summoned the Iranian ambassador and condemned the country's role in "attempting to drag the region into a major conflict and the danger this poses to millions of British citizens."
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The PM said two more charter flights would depart from Oman in the coming days, following a flight on Wednesday evening, to assist British citizens stranded in the region.
Iran has responded to the US-Israeli attacks by attacking Israel and US allies in the Gulf, including Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.
A British military base in Cyprus was also attacked by drones, while a base in Bahrain housing British personnel was hit by missiles.
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