A version of events has quickly become established: a Prime Minister with a near-religious belief in international law hid behind the advice of his Attorney General, Richard Hermer, that the attacks were illegal.
The truth is more nuanced and highlights Starmer’s weakness. When the crunch came, in a National Security Council (NSC) meeting on Friday, the Prime Minister was not able to carry his own cabinet. While he did not want Britain to join the military action, he did think there was a case for allowing Trump to use the bases at Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford to launch the attacks. However, he was blocked by an alliance of Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary.
Hermer’s ruling – that international law does not permit preemptive strikes unless there is an “imminent” threat to Britain – was already established when the Americans contacted UK officials on February 11 to ask about the use of the bases – 17 days before the offensive began, 17 days in which Britain could have done much more to prepare. The request was not that Britain join the decapitation strikes but help to protect Gulf allies from likely Iranian retaliation. “It was the view of almost everyone that it was not legal for the UK to be involved in the initial attack because there was no imminent threat to the UK from Iran,” a senior government source says.
Starmer came under colossal personal pressure from Trump in a series of bullying phone call exchanges which one source, with Whitehall understatement, calls “scratchy.” Another source says: “Trump was very angry, demanding, ‘Why won’t you let me use the bases?’ We frequently talk about being shoulder to shoulder with the Americans but, as far as he is concerned, when it mattered to him we were not.” Matt Collins, the deputy national security advisor, was dispatched to talk to Elbridge Colby, the US undersecretary for war, and “got both barrels” as well.
but you will all have to settle for copy pastes.
