Latest news with #SirKeirStarmer
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Labour fears repeat of Iraq war failures if it supports US strikes on Iran
Labour ministers fear that supporting the US in possible attacks on Iran could repeat the failures of the Iraq war. Senior government sources are concerned that backing American air strikes on a nuclear facility could be unlawful after Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, warned Sir Keir Starmer it could be illegal. Party figures also fear that supporting the US by allowing its military to carry out bombing runs from the UK's Diego Garcia air base in the Chagos Islands would be politically unpopular. The Telegraph has been told there is 'twitchiness' in No 10 over the situation because of Labour's legacy of involving the UK in the 2003 invasion of Iraq – at the urging of the US government – without a UN resolution. The UN's charter states that attacking another country is only permissible in international law in self-defence, to defend an ally or if it is authorised by the Security Council. Jonathan Powell, Downing Street's national security adviser, and Lord Mandelson, the British ambassador to the US, are among the officials dealing with the current crisis from the UK side. Both were confidantes of Sir Tony Blair at the time of the Iraq invasion, with Mr Powell serving as the No 10 chief of staff. Lord Mandelson, who was an ally on the Labour backbenches at the time, has since written that Sir Tony developed 'tunnel vision' over the war, and ignored his pleas in early 2003 to consider the 'political nuances' and 'practical implications' of an invasion. On Thursday, he joined David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, in Washington for meetings with US officials, including Marco Rubio, the secretary of state. Mr Lammy was planning to use the talks to attempt to persuade American officials that they should not intervene in the conflict between Iran and Israel, it is understood. It came as Donald Trump provisionally approved a plan to drop a 'bunker buster' bomb on Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility. On Thursday, the president said he would make a decision on whether to proceed with any US attack 'in the next two weeks'. US media report that the president is becoming increasingly convinced of the need to strike the Fordow nuclear fuel enrichment plant, which is buried deep beneath a mountain south-west of Tehran. If he does order an air strike, it is possible the US would use B-2 bombers stationed at Diego Garcia. Downing Street has publicly played down talk of Britain joining US forces, arguing on Thursday that 'de-escalation is the priority' in the region and that 'we would not want to see anything that ramps up the situation'. 'The continuation of the current situation is in no one's interest. We want to see cool heads and a return to diplomacy because that is the best route forward,' Sir Keir's official spokesman said. Lucy Powell, the Leader of the House of Commons, said MPs would get a vote on any sustained British military action. However, there are fears in Downing Street that publicly supporting Israel's attacks on Iran would alienate voters, as well as Labour MPs who have been campaigning against military action. On Thursday, Emily Thornberry, the Labour chairman of the foreign affairs committee, said that 'any of those justifications' for war in the UN charter did not apply because the UK was 'not under threat ourselves' and there was no Security Council resolution. Earlier this week, Richard Burgon, a Left-wing Labour MP, said that the Government must rule out military action in Iran because 'we saw with Iraq how following Right-wing US presidents into Middle East wars can end'. The Government has taken an increasingly hard line on Israel over the war in Gaza in recent months and last week took the unusual step of sanctioning two of the country's ministers. Polls show that around half of the public do not want Britain to intervene on either side of the conflict between Israel and Iran, while the majority of remaining voters say they either do not know which country to support or that the UK should back Israel. The UK has not been directly involved in protecting Israel from Iran's most recent missile attacks, although last year it did provide air-to-air refuelling support when Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles. A spokesman for Lord Hermer declined to comment on his legal opinion, but The Telegraph understands it was issued shortly after Israel's first attack on Iran last Thursday. He reportedly told Sir Keir that he had concerns about 'playing any role in this except for defending our allies' – one of the three justifications for such military action under the UN charter.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
QUENTIN LETTS: Lucy the Leader rabbits away snippily. Can No 10 not find someone better?
Where was Sir Keir Starmer? It used to be customary for PMs, on their return from summits, to hasten to the Commons to make a statement. Downing Street 's gap-year traveller, back from his Canadian G7 jaunt on Wednesday afternoon, was yesterday still absent from Parliament. He was, you see, meeting England's Lioness footballers. Was Sir Keir uninterested in what MPs thought about Iran-Israel and other crises? Did he not want us to see that he was as clueless as the rest of us as to what the White House might do? Or could he simply not be fagged with Parliament? What is the point of the Commons? Does it matter if ministers lie? Was Richard Tice completely sober at 11.15am? These were questions I scratched into my notebook as the mercury rose and the world went spinning towards its destiny. Adrian Ramsey (Grn, Waveney Valley) at least tried. At weekly business questions he raised the reported view of Lord Hermer, Attorney General, that British military involvement in Iran would be illegal. It was 'critical', said Mr Ramsey, that MPs have their say. Lucy Powell, Leader of the Commons, replied: 'Where there is sustained military action in which our troops could be involved, that would of course be a matter for the House to consider.' The Green man, although sometimes a credulous Herbert, appeared to find this answer elastic. Who could blame him? Can Ms Powell be trusted on anything? She sucks on her Mancunian teeth and rabbits away in a snippy fashion that is demeaning for a Leader of the House. I'm not sure I have seen one worse. Commons Leaders in my journalistic time have included John Biffen, Jack Straw, John Wakeham, Margaret Beckett, Robin Cook, George Young, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Penny Mordaunt. All could hold a line with wit and, usually, an acknowledgment of the legitimacy of opposition. Ms Powell is more bludgeon than rapier. On the Government's rape-gangs volte-face she said, with sepulchral piety: 'We never ruled out returning to the issue of a national inquiry.' Yes they did! Often. Sir Keir himself, on January 6, dismissed any inquiry, saying: 'This doesn't need more consultation. It doesn't need more research.' Ms Powell's answer was that of a Little Britain character caught thieving chocolates – 'I never done it, honest' – as contraband Bounty bars clatter to the floor. It was risible. Absurd. Can No 10 not find someone better to fill this velvety berth? Not that business questions at present is up to much. New intake MPs read from scripts as they raised the most parochial issues. The chair, inexplicably, felt obliged to call all these plodders. Richard Tice (Boston & Skegness) had a chance to assert Reform as the party for real people's concerns. Up he rose on his hind legs to ask Ms Powell to congratulate Nigel Farage and Angela Rayner on being named Britain's 'sexiest politicians' on some scuzzy website and to ask: 'Does she recommend that they have dinner together?' Good grief. Later we were treated to Treasury minister Darren Jones. He's the one who made that peculiar claim about small-boat immigrants being mainly women and children. He unveiled a 'ten-year strategy on infrastructure'. Given how the Middle East is going, we might be lucky to last ten days. Mr Jones spoke of efficiency, affordability and 'place-based business cases – I know this will be a huge relief'. He added, with pride: 'We will publish a new online infrastructure pipeline.' His £725billion vision involved, naturally, a new quango, the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority. Its birth will be announced on the Court and Social pages and will entail godparent duties for retired mandarins and ministers. How nobly they do these things. Last thing to note was the juxtaposition of two backbench discussions on yesterday's order paper. A debate on incontinence was followed by one on water safety education.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Donald Trump delays decision on Iran strikes as Keir Starmer calls for restraint
Donald Trump has delayed a decision on whether to join Israeli attacks on Iran as Sir Keir Starmer continues to urge restraint in the Middle East. The US president said he was still hopeful of reaching a negotiated solution with Tehran and would decide on military action within two weeks, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday. Quoting a message from the president, Ms Leavitt said: 'Based on the fact that there is a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision on whether or not to go within the next two weeks.' On Wednesday, Mr Trump said he 'may' join Israeli strikes against Iran and its nuclear programme, but added: 'I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' On Thursday, the Prime Minister had urged him to step back from military action, saying there was a 'real risk of escalation'. Sir Keir said there had been 'several rounds of discussions with the US' and 'that, to me, is the way to resolve this issue'. Foreign Secretary David Lammy took the UK's plea for de-escalation to Washington, where he was expected to meet Mr Trump's top diplomat Marco Rubio on Thursday evening. Mr Lammy's meeting comes amid speculation that US involvement could require using the UK-controlled Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands. The B-2 stealth bombers based there are capable of carrying specialised 'bunker buster' bombs which could be used against Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo. Attorney General Lord Hermer is reported to have raised legal concerns about any British involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies, which could limit the extent of any support for the US if Mr Trump decides to act militarily. Sir Keir has declined to comment on advice from Lord Hermer, but said the 'principle, the driving intent', was 'de-escalation'. It remains unclear whether the UK would join any US military action. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she would 'in principle' support the US using Diego Garcia to strike Iran, while her shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said the party would support UK involvement if it was deemed necessary. But Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on the Government to publish Lord Hermer's advice, saying: 'The last thing we need is for the UK to be dragged into another illegal war in the Middle East by the US.' Meanwhile, Israel and Iran continued to exchange fire, with the Israeli defence minister directly threatening the Iranian supreme leader after an attack damaged a major hospital in Tel Aviv. Israel Katz said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 'should not continue to exist' if the military was to 'achieve all of its goals'. Israel also continued to attack Iran, striking the country's Arak heavy water reactor, part of Tehran's nuclear programme. Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful, but it is the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90% and far above the levels required for power stations. Amid the conflict, 22,000 tourists are seeking evacuation flights from Israel, according to the country's tourism ministry. The ministry's director-general, Danny Shachar, said the Israeli government was working to co-ordinate flights as part of its 'safe return' programme, originally intended for Israelis returning to the country from elsewhere. The UK Government has not said how many British nationals are in Israel, but has urged those in the country to register their presence with the embassy. Although the Foreign Office advises against all travel to Israel and has evacuated the family members of embassy staff, it has not advised Britons to leave the country.
Telegraph
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
The UK must be able to kick out criminals
The Government's weakness in confronting the Pakistani state over its refusal to take back its criminal nationals has dealt a fresh blow to Sir Keir Starmer's floundering attempts to enforce the law. The ringleaders of the Rochdale grooming scandal lost appeals against deportation in 2018, but remain in the country today, with Islamabad claiming that their decision to renounce their citizenship means that it has effectively washed its hands of the matter. Or perhaps not. Interior ministry officials have suggested that if Pakistan's national airline PIA – suspended for safety reasons – were to be permitted to enter UK airspace again, then Pakistan might deign to take its criminals back. This should not be permitted to stand. These men cannot be allowed to escape the due punishment for their crimes, and Pakistan cannot be allowed to profit from charging an effective fee for their repatriation. Some 76,000 Pakistani nationals emigrated to Britain last year; 31,000 on work visas, 30,000 on study visas, and 15,000 through other routes. Given the scale of the flows it is vital we can remove those whose presence ceases to be conducive to the public good. Without this ability, they should not be allowed to come. If Pakistan intends to block deportations as a means to gain leverage in negotiations, then Britain should apply leverage to Pakistan. Unless Islamabad repatriates its offenders, then Sir Keir should start to limit the number of visas issued to Pakistani nationals, and suspend our £133 million in foreign aid payments into that country until its government changes course. These measures might seem like overkill for removing two serious criminals from Britain's streets. The broader point, however, is that we need to re-establish the principle that illegal migrants, criminals, and other unwanted aliens can be removed from this nation.
Sky News
15 hours ago
- Business
- Sky News
Starmer's artificial intelligence adviser steps down
Sir Keir Starmer's artificial intelligence adviser is standing aside after six months for family reasons. Matt Clifford continues to have a good relationship with Downing Street, and Sky News understands he would potentially be open to a return to help the government in the future. A government spokesperson told Sky News: "Matt Clifford is stepping down from his role as the prime minister's AI opportunities advisor for personal reasons. "The prime minister has thanked him for his dedicated work to deliver and implement the AI opportunities action plan. We will be building on this work to bolster AI expertise across government and cement the UK's position as a world leader in AI." Mr Clifford told Sky News: "It's been a privilege to spend the last year first writing and then implementing the AI opportunities action plan. "I'm grateful to the prime minister and the government for this opportunity to serve and am hugely optimistic about the UK's potential to be an AI superpower. "For family reasons, I will step back from my role as the prime minister's adviser on AI opportunities at the end of July, but I'm delighted that this important work will continue across government." Mr Clifford was the lead reviewer of the AI opportunities action plan, as well as being a member of the AI Safety Institute advisory board. As part of his backing of AI, Sir Keir accepted all 50 recommendations made by Mr Clifford in the action plan. 8:55 Mr Clifford has worked across Number 10 and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. He was appointed as Sir Keir's AI opportunities adviser in January 2025. His remit included advising on policy to grow the UK AI sector, including supporting uptake. Mr Clifford was also working to help on strategies to attract AI talent and entrepreneurs to the UK. He worked with the previous Conservative government on setting up the AI Safety Institute and setting up the 2023 AI Safety Summit.
