James Cleverly was pressed for answers during Thursday’s Question Time when the panel discussed the conflict in the Middle East and what steps the UK should take next
Tory politician James Cleverly squirmed under interrogation about the Middle East war during Question Time on Thursday.
The audience smirked and backed presenter Fiona Bruce as she tried to get answers about Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch’s view on the conflict. Ms Bruce asked Mr Cleverly if his leader’s plan is to attack Iran, to which he initially gave no clarity.
As Mr Cleverly hesitated, Ms Bruce pressed him for an answer. Laughter was heard in the room in Kettering, Northamptonshire, where the presenter asked the crowd: “Has he (answered the question?” Smiling audience members replied in unison: “No” so Ms Bruce pushed for a line.
The Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government suggested Ms Badenoch does not support the UK attacking Iran. He eventually said: “There has been no request for that capability. I don’t whether that is how we wuld best add to the collective defence of ourselves and our allies. I have been at COBR meetings where there have been requests for a division of labour.
“When she (Ms Badenoch) said that, she was talking not just about the UK, but the alliance of our friends and allies. She has always talked in those terms.”
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The interaction came during a debate around why the UK is being “dragged into the war without a plan,” a question which began this week’s edition of the programme. Stephen Doughty, Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories, had said: “The Prime Minister set out two discinct decisions he has made; the first was not to take part in the initial strikes by the US and Israel on Iran, but when it comes to our allies, our personnel, British interests being threatened, that he will allow permissions for those assets and people. That is exactly the right decision to take.
“I think, in a situation like this, you need that consistent, thoughtful, credible leadership. This is clearly an extremely worrying situation, not least for the nearly 300,000 Bits – I am sure there are people in the audience who have family members or friends who have been stuck or affected by this. Our first priority is their safety and security in getting them out.”
A debate about the conflict followed, which led to Mr Cleverly’s interrogation and hesitation. Ms Bruce said she was “very struck” by Ms Badenoch’s comments in the House of Commons this week. She had said: “Iran is trying to kill our servicemen and women. He is catching arrows rather than stopping the archer. I say to Labour MPs: We are in this war whether we like it or not.”
Mr Cleverly, MP for Braintree, Essex, appeared to initially struggle to explain what the remarks mean for the UK. He said intercepting missiles is “a very expensive way of dealing with a threat” before eventually suggested Ms Badenoch does not support the UK attacking Iran.
The discussion on BBC One happened after Donald Trump reportedly offered air support and weapons to Kurdish fighters willing to invade Iran. The US and Israel are working to arm Kurdish militias in Iran and Iraq with the goal of sending them to fight Iran’s Republican Guard forces on the ground.