LONDON, March 2 (Reuters) – Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended his actions in the Middle East on Monday, brushing off President Donald Trump’s criticism of Britain for not joining strikes against Iran by saying his decisions were guided by law and the “national interest”.
In an address to parliament, Starmer said he was moved to allow the “limited” use of British military bases by the U.S. on Sunday after Britons came under attack by “reckless” Iranian drone and missile strikes but he stood by his decision not to join “offensive strikes” on Iran that were launched on Saturday.
Buffeted by opposing views in Britain, Starmer has had to navigate calls from the left to condemn the U.S. and Israeli action, while on the right, populist Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticised him for not giving them his backing.
“We were not involved in the initial strikes against Iran, and we will not join offensive action now. But in the face of Iran’s barrage of missiles and drones, we will protect our people in the region,” Starmer told a silent parliament.
“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.”
STARMER WARNS OF ‘MISTAKES OF IRAQ’
Earlier, Trump told the Daily Telegraph he believed Britain had taken too long to let Washington use its bases in operations against Iran.
In an interview published on Monday Trump said Starmer appeared to be “worried about the legality” of the strikes.
“That’s probably never happened between our countries before,” Trump said of the disagreement, adding Starmer’s shift in stance took “far too much time”.
A former human rights lawyer, Starmer has long promoted his “iron-clad” commitment to international law.
In parliament, he said he did not want to repeat mistakes made over the invasion of Iraq in 2003, when Britain joined U.S. action to remove Saddam Hussein that was justified on false claims that the country had weapons of mass destruction.
“We all remember the mistakes of Iraq, and we have learned those lessons. Any UK actions must always have a lawful basis, and a viable, thought through plan,” Starmer said. “This government does not believe in regime change from the skies.”
BRITAIN WILL DEFEND BRITONS, ALLIES IN THE REGION
The U.S. and Israel launched air strikes against Iran on Saturday that killed its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Trump said Starmer should have approved from the get-go the American use of Diego Garcia, the strategically important air base.
Late on Sunday, Starmer said he accepted a U.S. request for their use in any “defensive” strikes against Iranian targets.
He said this was essential to defend the 300,000 Britons who are in the region, where Iran has struck hotels and airports with missiles and drones in Gulf countries hosting U.S. bases.
But he was immediately accused by opposition parties for performing his latest U-turn in a premiership peppered with them on policy, and what Farage called a “frankly pathetic” immediate response to the Iran strikes – accusations Starmer denied.
“It is very clear that the death of the Supreme Leader will not stop Iran from launching these strikes,” Starmer said. “In fact, their approach is becoming even more reckless and more dangerous to civilians.”
On Sunday, an Iranian-made drone hit Britain’s RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus, causing limited damage and no casualties.
Trump said it was “useful” that the U.S. would now be able to launch operations from Diego Garcia but said he was “very disappointed in Keir” for a deal Starmer made on the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands where it is based.
Trump has changed position on the Chagos deal, which Britain says secures the future of the base from future legal challenges while transferring sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius.
Starmer’s spokesperson said bilateral relations with the United States and Trump remained strong.
“The UK and U.S. are staunch allies, as we have been for many decades,” the spokesperson told reporters.
(Reporting by Sarah Young, Elizabeth Piper, Alistair Smout, Andrew MacAskill, William James and Sam TabahritiEditing by William Schomberg, William James, Aidan Lewis and Alison Williams)
