Defiant Starmer tells Trump ‘I stand by my decision’ not to join attacks on Iran
Sir Keir Starmer has hit back defiantly at Donald Trump and defended his decision not to allow British military bases to be used by the US for the first wave of attacks on Iran, telling the House of Commons: “I stand by my decision.”
The Prime Minister on Sunday allowed the US to use UK bases to target Iran’s missile launchers and depots to help protect countries targeted by Tehran, but the US president said he was “very disappointed” by Sir Keir’s initial refusal to allow the US to use the UK-US Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands as part of the operation.
He added that it “took too long” for the Prime Minister to change his mind.
But in a statement to the House of Commons, Sir Keir said he stood by his decision and warned that his party had “learned the lesson of Iraq”, recalling Tony Blair’s decision to support another US president in invading a Middle Eastern state in 2003.
Sir Keir said: “President Trump expressed disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial attacks, but it is my job to decide what is in Britain’s national interest. That’s what I did and I stand by it.”
He later added: “How we operate on the world stage is very important.
“We all remember Iraq’s mistakes and have learned those lessons. Any UK action must always have a legal basis.”
The statement came as President Trump warned that the “biggest wave of attacks” against Iran was yet to come as the war in the Middle East rapidly escalates.
Iran’s drone attack on the Akrotiri RAF base in Cyprus on Sunday night came after the prime minister gave the US permission to use UK bases for defensive operations.
However, this was cited as an example of Iran retaliating “indiscriminately”.
Sir Keir noted that the attack on the Akrotiri base was launched before the USA allowed the RAF to use its bases for defensive purposes, and pointed out that the bases in Cyprus would not be used by the Americans because they were not suitable.
He continued: “It is clear that Iran’s ugly response has become a threat to our people, our interests and our allies and cannot be ignored.”
But he insisted: “We are not at war and we are not involved in acts of aggression by the United States and others.”
Around 300,000 Britons are believed to be in countries targeted by Iran; 102,000 Britons have registered their assets with the Foreign Office as authorities work on contingency plans, including a possible mass evacuation.
The prime minister’s statement was welcomed by Labor MPs who insisted he must respect international law, but the Conservative Party joined Reform UK in warning that the prime minister must say whose side he is on.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: “Incredibly, in today’s statement, the prime minister is still unable to say whether he supports the attacks. Today the US president took the extraordinary step of publicly rebuking the prime minister, saying it had taken too long to grant access.”
On international law, he said: “International law has not stopped our allies from stating clearly and unequivocally whose side they are on. You don’t need international law to say whose side you are on. It has not stopped British governments in the past from supporting attacks that we know are right.”
“Why does international law always seem to go against our national interests under this prime minister?”
But Dame Emily Thornberry, chair of Labour’s foreign affairs committee, said: “Although the attack on Iran by the US and Israel was ill-advised, ill-judged and illegal, it is certainly no excuse for the Iranians to recklessly bomb their Gulf neighbours. I want to ask the Prime Minister if he is in a position to give us more detail about what we are doing with our Ukrainian friends to support the collective self-defence of Arab nations against the Iran Witness drones that have caused so much damage in Ukraine.” and now it’s in the Gulf.”
Sir Keir replied: “Ukraine unfortunately has more expertise in drones than anyone else and so we are bringing together their expertise with our expertise and using that to help our allies in the region.”
House mother and veteran Labor MP Diane Abbott warned that the “shadow of Iraq” hung over the decision.
Some MPs also pressured Sir Keir to prevent the UK from going to war without a vote in Parliament.
