Iran will attack Britain with nuclear weapons if it is allowed to develop them, Kemi Badenoch warned today as she attacked critics of US military strikes against Tehran.
The Conservative Party leader said ‘Iran in 2026 is not Iraq in 2003′ as leftwing figures invoked the memory of the War on Terror to criticise UK support for Trump’s decision to wage war.
Mrs Badenoch said it was in the UK’s national interest to help tackle the hardline Islamist regime which had backed groups like the Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah who attacked British allies and caused problems in vital Middle East shipping lanes.
It came as Donald Trump today condemned Keir Starmer for initially blocking the US from using British military bases to target Iran, before a U-turn last night.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has condemned the decision, saying Sir Keir had jumped into ‘yet another Middle East illegal war’, while the Liberal Democrats demanded MPs be given a say on allowing the US to use British bases.
Taking questions after a speech to the Policy Exchange think tank today, Mrs Badenoch rejected the need for a vote, saying: ‘Iran in 2026 is not Iraq in 2003 and it is clear that many of the people who are talking about learning lessons aren’t actually being specific about what those lessons are.
‘The lessons are to make sure we are ready, we are able and there is evidence (to justify the attacks). I believe all those things were in place for this.
‘We need to make sure we don’t put our country in danger, yes of course, I do not want to see a situation where we are sending British troops, people’s sons and daughters, to war when we are not clear what is going on.
‘With Iran it is very very clear what is going on and we cannot just put our heads in the sand like ostriches and hope that if we do nothing the problem will go away.
‘I do not want to see an Iran that has nukes, because if they do have nukes, we will be nuked, that is very clear.’
The Conservative Party leader said ‘Iran in 2026 is not Iraq in 2003’ as leftwing figures invoked the memory of the War on Terror to criticise UK support for Trump’s decision to wage war
Sir Keir’s announcement came just hours before a drone hit the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus
However, a senior Tory later suggested that Keir Starmer was ‘right to be cautious’.
Sir Edward Leigh, the longest-serving MP, used a Commons statement by the PM on the attacks to warn that the public was ‘very sceptical about dragged into the cesspit of Middle East Politics’.
He added: ‘What evidence actually is there that Iran was on the cusp of acquiring nuclear weapons and since when has regime change from the skies actually changed a regime?’
Trump today said he was ‘very disappointed’ with the Labour leader – complaining he ‘took far too long’ to change his mind and permit the strikes.
Amid fears over a major blow to the Special Relationship, Mr Trump suggested the initial refusal was unprecedented.
Sir Keir has been desperately trying to avoid angering the White House and his own left-wing MPs since the Middle East crisis flared. Kemi Badenoch accused the premier of being ‘scared’ of large blocs of voters whose ‘loyalties are swayed by conflicts in the Middle East’.
The PM announced last night that American forces would be permitted to operate from UK bases for ‘defensive’ purposes, after the Tehran regime rained down drones and missiles on a host of nearby states.
Downing Street insisted the move is not a U-turn, despite the premier initially refusing to participate in the joint strikes with Israel – or even say whether the UK backed them. In contrast both Australia and Canada have been supportive, sparking fury that Sir Keir was sitting on the fence to avoid riling his own backbenchers.
Mr Polanski today demanded the Prime Minister withdraw permission, claiming Sir Keir was allowing the UK to be ‘dragged into another illegal war in the Middle East’.
‘Starmer must withdraw permission for the US to use UK bases to launch airstrikes on Iran and Parliament must be given a vote on any UK involvement,’ he added.
He also claimed the PM ‘will do anything Donald Trump wants – and it makes us all less safe’.
Sir Keir’s announcement came just hours before a drone hit the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus.
Officials said the base 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.
On Monday, a spokesperson for the Cypriot Government said two further unmanned drones heading towards the base had been intercepted.
Iran has learnt lessons from the 12-day war last June, and is calibrating its response so it can keep up attacks for at least a week, it is understood.
Sir Keir’s decision to allow US forces to operate from British bases followed a day of conversations with regional leaders, during which it is understood they asked the UK to do more to protect them from Iranian missiles.
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.
