‘I won’t commit UK military to unlawful action,’ Starmer hits back at Trump over US-Israel/Iran war
*Says his govt doesn’t believe in regime change from the skies
Sir Starmer challenged the legality of the unprovoked air strikes on Iran by the US and Israel as he hit back at Donald Trump.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has, in strong words, turned down United States President Donald Trump’s request to be dragged in the war he started with Israel against the sovereign state that is the Islamic Republic of Iran.
By this, Sir Starmer challenged the legality of the unprovoked air strikes on Iran by the US and Israel as he hit back at Donald Trump.
In a glaring trans-Atlantic rift with the US president, the UK PM strongly defended his refusal to allow British military bases to be used for the initial and offensive attacks on the Tehran regime.
Updating MPs, the Prime Minister told the Commons: “This Government does not believe in regime change from the skies.
“I will not commit our military personnel to unlawful action,” he told Trump.
Starmer stressed that he would put Britain’s national interest first as he rejected Trump’s criticism of his stance over use of UK military bases for US attacks on Iran.
He said, “President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes.
“But it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest, that is what I’ve done and I stand by it.”
Earlier, Trump had told how he was “very disappointed” at Sir Keir for initially refusing to allow the use of the UK-US Diego Garcia base to target Iran.
The US president said it “took far too long” for the Prime Minister to change his mind.
Sir Keir announced late on Sunday that US forces would be allowed to operate from British bases against Iran, but only in a limited, defensive role such as targeting missile sites.
He stressed on Monday that Britain was not getting involved in the US and Israeli offensive action against Iran.
“Any UK action must always have a lawful basis,” he added, in comments likely to be seen as questioning whether the US/Israeli attacks on Iran are within international law.
“It must also always have a viable and thought-through plan.
“And it must be in our national interests.”
US forces were now being allowed to use UK bases to target Iranian missile sites, he added, as part of “collective self-defence” after Tehran attacked Gulf states and other countries, threatening the lives of British citizens and others.
Earlier, voicing his unhappiness with the British stance, Trump highlighted the issues around Diego Garcia, in the Chagos Islands which are at the centre of a diplomatic row between the UK, US and Mauritius, in a Telegraph interview.
The US president criticised the refusal to grant permission to use the base for the initial strikes against Iran’s military and leadership.
“That’s probably never happened between our countries before,” he said, adding: “It sounds like he was worried about the legality.”
Referring to Sir Keir’s change of position, he added: “It is useful. It took far too much time. Far too much time.”
Sir Keir’s announcement came just hours before a drone hit the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus.
Officials said RAF Akrotiri was continuing to operate as normal despite the attack but family members of personnel had been moved away from the base as a precaution.
The drone is believed to have been launched before Sir Keir announced he had allowed US forces to use British bases rather than in retaliation to the policy shift.
The Prime Minister insisted the decision was fully in line with international law, and the Government has published a summary of its legal position setting out that it is acting in “collective self-defence”.
The UK will also continue to carry out the defensive operations that have already seen British forces shoot down Iranian drones threatening northern Iraq and Qatar.
