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The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, has said the UK is doing everything it can to calm the situation in Iran, which is very different from US President Donald Trump, who wants to change the regime.
Trump had already said it’s “too late” for Iran’s leaders to talk.
Starmer explained his decision not to join the first attacks by the US and Israel over the weekend, saying he still believes in his decision and claims it did not harm the special relationship.
Some Gulf countries and Cyprus have criticized Starmer for not doing enough to keep their allies and British people safe from Iranian attacks in the region. He has also faced personal attacks from Trump.
The Prime Minister said that every minister on the National Security Council agreed with the UK’s stance on US use of British bases, and he denied reports that some cabinet members, especially the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, were against this decision.
He told reporters that the UK will use its military and diplomatic power to keep British people safe. This includes sending four more Typhoon fighter planes to Cyprus on Thursday, along with two helicopters capable of intercepting missiles.
In a strong response to his critics both at home and abroad, he said: “It means having the courage to stick to our values and principles, even when there’s pressure to change them.
“The UK has always believed that the best solution for the situation and for the world is to reach an agreement with Iran where they stop pursuing nuclear weapons.
“That’s why I decided the UK wouldn’t take part in the first attacks on Iran by the US and Israel. That decision was deliberate. It was in the best interest of the country, and I still believe that.”
Starmer, who joined his second Cobra meeting regarding the conflict on Thursday, said the UK would “keep protecting” British citizens in the area, as well as their allies.
The Defence Secretary, John Healey, visited Cyprus on Thursday. When asked if Trump, whom Starmer spoke to on Saturday night, was correct in saying he had damaged relations between the two countries, he said the special relationship is “still working right now” at UK bases where troops are operating with their US allies.
“That is the special relationship. That is a unique kind of relationship in how it works, and obviously, it’s up to the president to make decisions that he believes are best for the country’s interests. I understand that, I respect that, but at the same time, it’s up to me as the British Prime Minister to make decisions that I believe are best for the UK. There’s nothing controversial about that. The special bond is working right now at a key moment.”
Starmer did not say he did not support letting the US use British bases for defensive actions, but some of his government ministers disagreed on Friday.
He said there was no official request from the US until Saturday.
“Let me be really clear about this: no request from the US came in exactly the way we agreed until Saturday afternoon. There was no clear decision to be made on Friday. We then, as you might expect, spent the next day going over the details with the US. The decision made on Sunday was a decision reached by all the ministers present, and it was the action I announced afterward.”
War: Best thing is negotiation with Iran — Starmer defends UK stance
