KEMI BADENOCH: Keir Starmer wants to believe Britain is merely an observer in this conflict… that is fantasy

It is now clear that Sir Keir Starmer misled the public about the Mandelson affair and that our Prime Minister routinely lies to dig himself out of the hole.

Instead of addressing this scandal honestly, he tries another trick: changing the subject. ‘Look over there, the Conservatives want to go to war with Iran!’ Schtick is a convenient distraction. As we’ve come to expect from Starmer, this is completely wrong.

My stance on Iran has been consistent from the beginning.

Unlike the Prime Minister, I do not decide national security issues based on polls or the headlines of the day. I start from first principles.

Our foreign policy should always be in line with our national interests. Britain stands by its allies when they face hostile regimes. And Britain has a duty to defend the servicemen and women we put in harm’s way.

These principles are not theoretical. The Iranian regime has brutalized its own people, financed terrorist groups in the Middle East and repeatedly threatened the UK.

Our security services have foiled dozens of Iranian plots on British soil. When our allies opposed this threat militarily, I was clear that we should not participate; I worry there is no clear plan behind the attacks, but Britain should not be neutral either.

From the beginning, I was clear about what these principles meant in practice. I said that Britain should allow our allies to use our bases.

Many people do not realize how well the US and Israel protect British citizens at home and abroad by sharing intelligence with us, defending our interests and supporting British forces around the world.

If they are facing a regime that threatens us all, the least Britain can do is let them use our bases, a position into which Keir Starmer eventually drifted.

But there is another principle that is more important than this: the duty to defend our own people. The UK has placed bases and personnel in places such as Bahrain and Cyprus, and these countries expect us to be with them in difficult times.

When these bases are attacked, the British government has a simple responsibility: to properly protect the men and women serving there.

I have spoken to military experts who are clear that when it comes to the proper defense of our people and the allies who provide a home to British bases, it is far better to strike missile and drone launch sites at the source rather than intercept them after they have been launched.

This is where the real difference between us and the Prime Minister emerges. Keir Starmer wants to believe that Britain is merely an observer in this conflict. It’s a fantasy.

British aircraft fly missions across the region. Our bases in Cyprus and Bahrain have already been targeted. Just last week, there was a drone attack on a British base in Iraq. Our forces are already at risk. We must do everything we can to protect them.

This is why the Prime Minister’s attempt to misrepresent my position is so revealing. He wants the public to believe that anyone who wants to defend Britain’s interests is somehow reckless. The truth is just the opposite.

Pretending we are not in conflict when our bases are under attack shows Keir Starmer to be shamefully reckless and is a convenient denial.

While the Prime Minister faces serious questions about his integrity regarding the Mandelson affair, he would clearly prefer to talk about anything else. Misrepresenting my stance on Iran allows him to distract from the scandal and scare people about his political rivals.

The difference between us is simple. I start with the principles. England stands with its allies. Britain defends the men and women it sends into danger based on maximum, not minimum, capacity.

My principles may mean making difficult decisions, but I don’t change them based on opinion polls or political weather.

Across the UK, Britons want to see a stronger country. When our allies face a hostile regime and British forces come under attack, we must not hesitate and hide behind legal excuses.

We must do what serious countries do: act in our national interests, stand with our allies, and show that we have the strength to defend our people.