The UK made a “big mistake” by not allowing the use of its military bases sooner, a former foreign secretary has said as debate continues over Britain’s role in the escalating conflict involving Iran.
Sir Keir Starmer authorised the use of two RAF bases on Sunday evening, after initially rejecting a request from the United States. Jeremy Hunt, who previously served as foreign secretary and then chancellor under the last Conservative government, has now criticised that decision, arguing that the delay was a grave error.
Instead, he suggested, the government should have moved more decisively to align itself with US and Israeli efforts against the Iranian regime.
“You can say there was an immediate risk of attack, not just to the UK, but to allies such as Israel,” Hunt said in an interview on Radio 4’s Today programme.
“The head of MI5 said that we have had a number of attacks from Iran on British interests in the last year that we’ve had to deal with,” he added.
The Tory MP for Godalming and Ash also pointed to what he described as “other strategic interests” that required protection.
“American taxpayers are paying for about a third of the cost of defending Europe.
“We need to stand on our own two feet. That is going to take us about a decade at least to get there,” he went on.
Hunt argued that Britain’s reliance on US defence support strengthens the case for closer alignment: “We are dependent on American defence. We depend on America to play some part in the defence of Ukraine, particularly when it comes to intelligence.
“And we’d want to avoid a nuclear conflagration in the Middle East, where there are a lot of British interests. So in that situation, to weaken our alliance with the US was, I believe, a big mistake,” he said.
The government has so far declined to state whether it believes the initial US and Israeli strike on Iran fell within the bounds of international law. Under a broader interpretation of the law, a state may have the right to use force in response to an imminent threat.
Hunt, who has been an MP since 2005, said “international law is not settled on this issue.”
Iran has reportedly targeted British interests in the Gulf.
The UK has so far maintained that its involvement in the escalating situation is limited to “defensive” rather than “offensive” measures.
On Tuesday afternoon, the prime minister announced that a UK warship would be deployed to Cyprus to protect an RAF base, signalling heightened concern over regional security.
Jewish communal figures have also called on the government to go further to support US and Israeli efforts against the Islamic Republic.
The US president launched a series of personal attacks against Starmer on Tuesday over the UK’s involvement, saying the prime minister is “no Winston Churchill”.
Former senior Nato commander, General Sir Richard Shirreff, came to Starmer’s defence this morning, branding Trump “another American president who had launched a war of choice”.
Chief secretary to the Treasury, James Murray, insisted that the prime minister had acted “with a cool head” by not allowing British bases to be used for initial strikes.
“The prime minister took the decision he did in the national interest.
“He’s approached this with a cool head, with a real clarity of purpose, with a real focus and a determination to do the right thing for the British people,” Murray said.
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