No more hesitation – Starmer must do these five things now

The despotic and authoritarian Iranian regime has posed a serious threat to regional and global security for far too long. The recent actions by the US and Israel to degrade Iran's nuclear weapons programme and military capabilities were necessary.
But now the Government must urgently clarify its role – protecting British nationals, securing our interests and influencing the outcome of this escalating conflict.
Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency left no doubt about the scale and acceleration of Iran's nuclear programme.
Hundreds of kilograms of highly enriched uranium are being produced – far beyond civilian energy needs. The IAEA noted Iran's failure to co-operate with inspections and suggested that the regime may have enough material for nine nuclear weapons.
This is not just a theoretical threat. Iran has explicitly stated its aim to annihilate Israel, the world's only Jewish state, and continues to fund and arm terrorist groups like Hamas, which are responsible for widespread bloodshed.
Iran's malign activities reach beyond the Middle East, posing direct threats to Britain as well. Inaction would be reckless – a nuclear-armed Iran would endanger global stability.
That said, military action carries obvious consequences. We need to know what the UK Government is doing to manage these risks. British nationals in the region may now be in danger, our military assets are exposed, and Iranian proxies will be looking to retaliate, possibly even on British soil.
Urgency and clarity
As His Majesty's Opposition, the Conservative Party will always put the defence and security of our nation first. In moments of international crisis, we will support the Government when it takes the right steps – but we will also press for greater urgency and clarity when required.
There are five key areas where the Government must act.
First, it must facilitate the safe and swift repatriation of British nationals in the region. Thousands are seeking to return home, yet with airspace closed, action is slow.
The UK must work with allies to open land, sea, or air routes to ensure evacuations. The United States and European partners have already acted. The UK, however, has only just begun conversations – a dangerous delay.
Second, the Government must clarify its position on recent military actions by the US and Israel.
While the Prime Minister has commented on the situation, he has failed to say whether he supports these targeted strikes. Reports suggest the UK's Attorney General has questioned the legal basis for involvement, possibly affecting allied operations such as those based out of Diego Garcia.
The public deserves transparency. Will the UK support future strikes? Will we offer operational or intelligence support?
Another dangerous chapter for the world
Third, whether or not Britain joins any direct military operations, our forces and assets in the region must be protected. Iran retains the capacity to strike, and their proxies – particularly the Houthis – may increase attacks on British and allied interests. Defensive readiness is essential.
Fourth, the Government must ensure our homeland is secure. Iranian agents are known to operate on British soil, with multiple plots disrupted by our intelligence services.
This week, a British national was arrested in Cyprus for suspected terrorism and espionage linked to Iran. The risk is real. The Government must reassure the public that law enforcement and security agencies are resourced and prepared to meet this heightened threat.
Finally, we must ask: where is Britain's global influence? As the US and Israel lead, the UK has appeared hesitant and peripheral. Ministers talk tough on Iran but have spent the past year straining relations with Israel, our key regional ally. We should be helping shape the international response, not reacting late from the sidelines.
The world is entering another dangerous chapter. The Government must step up, working with partners to ensure Iran no longer threatens our security, sponsors terrorism, or destabilises the Middle East. Conservatives will keep pressing for the answers and action that Britain needs.

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Leaving oil and gas in the ground was always a pipe dream

Just call me Mystic Mac. As I forecast in this space earlier this month, the UK has finally opened the door to the development of the Rosebank oilfield off Shetland and the Jackdaw gas field off Aberdeen. Ed Miliband, the net zero secretary, famously said that drilling in these two modest reserves would constitute 'climate vandalism'. Well, it looks like he will shortly have to get his spray paint out and daub 'Just Start Oil' on the door of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. To be honest, it didn't take supernatural foresight to predict that these totemic fields would ultimately get the go-ahead. They were given licences by the last government. Production was halted only by a bizarre judgment by the Court of Session in Edinburgh. In January Lord Ericht ruled in favour of the climate activists, Uplift and Greenpeace, who argued that the UK government hadn't carried out a full environmental impact assessment of the emissions from the burning of fossil fuels downstream. It had merely provided an assessment of the carbon dioxide from the process of extracting it and piping it ashore. New methods of extraction can and are producing significant reductions in producer emissions. But the UK government had not formally included an assessment of the downstream emissions since it was deemed self-evident that burning hydrocarbons produces greenhouse gases. What did the court expect? That it would be used to oil bicycle chains and fill balloons? Shell says that Jackdaw alone would produce enough gas to heat 1.4 million households. The environmental and health impact on those households of withdrawing their main source of heating was not, of course, considered in this pettifogging ruling — because that would have required an ounce of common sense. Nor did the court recognise that the gas, which would have to be imported to fuel those domestic boilers if Jackdaw were stoppered, might produce more emissions than using our domestic supply. 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This whole episode served only to showcase the absurdity of what is being called the managerial 'lanyard class's' thinking about energy. The Treasury is not stupid and was never going to endorse an exercise in performative self-harm. Nor was No 10. 'Keeping it in the ground', as Patrick Harvie used to advocate, was not what Labour meant by a rational and measured transition to renewable energy. The UK depends on oil and gas for 75 per cent of its energy usage. So the UK government has rejigged the approval process to include a statement of the bleedin' obvious — viz, that burning oil and gas produces emissions. Industry sources believe, rightly, that by submitting this new and more politically correct prospectus, they will be able to go ahead. That is, if firms like Equinor haven't given up in disgust. They're already being hit by a 78 per cent profits tax on North Sea oil, which makes you wonder why they bother. 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Iranian nuclear sites sustained 'extremely severe damage' after US strikes, Pentagon says

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