British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has defended his decision not to involve the United Kingdom (UK) in the initial US-Israeli strikes on Iran, saying he acted in Britain’s national interest despite criticism from US President, Donald Trump.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Starmer updated Members of Parliament and the public on developments in the Middle East and made it clear that the UK did not participate in Saturday’s offensive.
Starmer acknowledged that his stance had drawn criticism from Washington. “It is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest,” he told MPs. “That is what I’ve done, and I stand by it.”
The prime minister also questioned whether there had been a clear strategy for the next phase of the conflict when the strikes were launched.
He repeatedly stressed the need for legality and clarity before committing British forces.
“The lessons of history have taught us that it is important, when we make decisions like this, that we establish there is a lawful basis for what the United Kingdom is doing,” he said. “That is one of the lessons from Iraq.
“And that there is a viable thought-through plan with an objective that can be achieved or has a viable prospect of being achieved.
“That is the principles that I apply to the decisions that I made over the weekend, the principles I applied to the decision not to get involved in the offensive strikes of the US and Israel.”
Starmer disclosed that he made two key decisions over the weekend: first, not to join the initial strikes; and second, to allow US aircraft to conduct defensive operations from UK bases.
Hours after granting the United States permission to use British bases for defensive actions, a drone struck RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, underlining the fragile security situation.
President Trump responded sharply, criticising the UK’s handling of the matter.
He said he was “very disappointed” with Sir Keir over his initial refusal to allow the US to use the UK-US Diego Garcia base on the Chagos Islands as part of the operation, adding that it “took far too long” for the prime minister to change his mind.
Hitting out at Starmer directly, Trump said: “He has not been helpful. I never thought I’d see that. I never thought I’d see that from the UK. We love the UK.”
The exchange highlights a rare public disagreement between the two allies as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate.