' He also warned: 'If they are your ally and they are an indispensable cornerstone for your security... ' This rebuke follows Keir Starmer's initial denial of permission for Donald Trump to launch strikes on Iran from UK territory, including the joint-US base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. President Trump described Keir Starmer as 'not Winston Churchill' for this decision and said he was 'very disappointed' by him.
' He justified his initial refusal on the grounds that he did not believe in 'regime change from the skies,' with his arguments based on international law but driven by political calculations about the lack of appetite in his Cabinet for emulating Tony Blair's unquestioning support for American military action. Keir Starmer has since authorised the US to use UK airbases to bomb Iranian missile launch sites on the grounds of protecting British interests and allies in the Gulf. US bombers landed in the UK this weekend ahead of a threatened 'surge' in strikes on Iran, with four B-1 Lancers arriving at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Friday and Saturday.
Each B-1 Lancer is capable of carrying 24 cruise missiles. The current status of US strikes on Iran and whether any have been launched from UK territory remains unknown.