Raf Fairford among UK bases cleared for US strikes as Starmer frames limited, defensive role
The UK has agreed to a US request to use British military bases, including Raf Fairford, for defensive strikes on Iranian missile sites, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced in a Downing Street video statement. The move — which the government says is limited in scope and grounded in a legal rationale published by ministers — comes amid a fresh attack on a British air base and sharp political debate at home.
Raf Fairford and Diego Garcia cleared for US use
The United States is likely to use RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to strike Iranian missile sites, the government has indicated. Both sites have been used by the US in the past for long-range heavy bombing missions, and the prime minister said the permission is for a "specific and limited defensive purpose": to destroy Iranian missiles "at source" and to degrade Iran's capacity to launch missile and drone attacks across the region, including in Gulf countries where many British citizens live.
Sir Keir Starmer outlines legal and strategic rationale
Sir Keir said the government acted on the basis of "collective self-defence" and to protect British lives, invoking the country's interests in his closing line: "This is the British government, protecting British interests and British lives. " He stressed the UK would not join "offensive action" and that lessons had been learned from the "mistakes of Iraq, " a reference to his earlier stance: in March 2003, writing as a QC, he warned against engaging in armed conflict in breach of international law. The government published what it described as a summary of its legal advice to justify the decision.
RAF Akrotiri drone strike prompts immediate investigations
Hours before the announcement, a drone struck RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at around midnight local time — 22: 00 GMT on Sunday — causing "minimal damage" and no casualties, the Ministry of Defence said. Investigations are under way to establish where the drone was fired from. Downing Street linked the change in posture in part to Iran striking British interests, a shift the prime minister's official spokesman said underlined the UK and US as "staunch allies. "
Political reaction from officials and opposition figures
The decision drew criticism and concern across the political spectrum. Conservative party figure Kemi Badenoch accused the government of being "too scared" to take a stronger stance because some Labour voters are "swayed by conflicts in the Middle East, not the British national interest. " Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the "UK must not be complicit in illegal military action" and demanded that MPs be given a say on allowing US use of British bases. On another front, critics in Parliament warn that permitting some strikes risks deeper entanglement in the wider US actions that some see as aimed at regime change in Iran.
