Keir Starmer slams Israeli strikes on Lebanon as ‘fallacious’ as UK and US tensions mount
Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer says Israeli strikes following US-Iran ceasefire deal are ‘wrong’ and should stop a during trip to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and UAE
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer arrives at an airport in Bahrain, as part of a two-day visit to the Gulf region
Israeli strikes on Lebanon following the US-Iran ceasefire deal are “wrong” and “should stop”, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has declared during a visit to Gulf nations.
Israel’s bombardment of Beirut is jeopardising the two-week truce agreed by US President Donald Trump after he had warned that “a whole civilisation will die tonight” – language Sir Keir said he would personally “never use”.
The Prime Minister also revealed the UK is “monitoring” the use of UK bases by Washington to ensure they are only being utilised for collective self-defence rather than for offensive operations against Iran.
The Prime Minister touched down in Bahrain on Thursday afternoon as part of a regional tour, which also featured visits to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, amid indications the ceasefire is already under pressure.
Israeli assaults on the Hezbollah militant group made Wednesday the most lethal day in Lebanon since the conflict began, amid disputes over whether the country was covered by the ceasefire.
Tehran shut the crucial oil shipping route the Strait of Hormuz once more in response to the Israeli strikes. The Prime Minister said it was “hard to say” whether the strikes constituted a breach of the ceasefire between the US and Iran.
“We haven’t all got access to all the details of the ceasefire,” Sir Keir told ITV’s Talking Politics podcast in Bahrain.
“But look, let me be really clear about it – they’re wrong.” When questioned if Israel was “wrong to be attacking in Lebanon now”, the Prime Minister responded: “Yes, that shouldn’t be happening.
“That should stop – that’s my strong view – and therefore, the question isn’t a technical one of whether it’s a breach of the agreement or not.
“The (question) is actually a matter of principles as far as I am concerned and, in a sense, my argument would be it should be included in a ceasefire and that’s the important part of the overall approach.”
The Prime Minister also stated on the podcast that ships traversing the Strait of Hormuz must not be subject to tolls.
He declared: “There’s clarity here in the region and clarity from us as well, the United Kingdom, our position is – ‘open’ means open for safe navigation.
“That means toll-free navigation and vessels can get through.”
The Prime Minister also fielded questions about the UK-US relationship, following Mr Trump’s mockery of him over his reluctance to become embroiled in the conflict.
In a video from a private Easter White House lunch, Mr Trump mimicked the Prime Minister as he recounted asking the UK to dispatch “two old broken-down aircraft carriers” to the Middle East.
The US president has also posted to his Truth Social platform during the war, at one point concluding a post with “praise be to Allah” and in another warning that “a whole civilisation will die” if Tehran failed to meet his demands.
“Let me be really clear and blunt about this – they’re not words I would use or would ever use because I come at this with our British values and principles foremost and uppermost in my mind,” Sir Keir stated.
“I would never use those words and language like that myself – very important that I’m clear that the United Kingdom, we have our principles, we have our values, we will be guided by them.”
He added: “I’ve been saying we are not going to be dragged into this war because I say there must be a lawful basis – that matters.
“If you’re going to commit our service personnel to risk their lives, they need to know they’re doing so on a lawful basis.
“It’s not a question of remote international law – these are real people who take risks with their lives on our behalf.
“They need to know that what they’re doing is lawful.I owe them that, and I will never give up on that.
“Secondly, there must be a viable thought-through plan, and absent those two things, then it is not in our national interest to get involved, and we won’t.”
The Prime Minister also stated: “I’m saying I’ve been really clear about the use of the bases for collective self-defence only and we are monitoring.”
He continued: “From the get-go we’ve been monitoring this situation, so I’m pretty clear in my own mind about what we’ve agreed and what the use of the bases are, and that is a really important point of principle because we have to learn the lessons of Iraq.
“We need to be clear where we stand as a country and I’m the British Prime Minister, I make decisions on what’s in the British national interest – and that is my focus.”
In Bahrain, Sir Keir had an audience with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
At Al Sakhir palace, the crown prince described Sir Keir’s visit as a “true reflection of friends standing with friends”, and added: “You come not only with words but with action.”
The Prime Minister responded that it was “important to stand with allies”.
