Kemi Badenoch has denied calling for the UK to join Donald Trump’s war on Iran, after previously saying Keir Starmer should do more to “stop the people who are attacking us”.
Labour accused Badenoch of having a confused position after the Conservative leader said she was not urging the government to join the US and Israel strikes on Iran but that the UK should “do more than catch the arrows” and “take out” missile launchers.
On the BBC on Tuesday, Badenoch was asked whether it was “coherent to call for the UK to join the war, to not question the endgame strategy and at the same time complain about rising energy bills?”
She replied that she had not called for the UK to join the war but that she did support the actions of the US and Israel. “I said that we support their actions. I never said we should join,” Badenoch said. “I did say that where British bases are being attacked, we should do more than catch the arrows. We should stop the people who are attacking us. Stop the archer.”
Pressed on what that meant, she said: “When missiles are being fired, the launchers which are kept deep underground come out. If you take out the capacity, that means that they will stop sending missiles over. So don’t just catch the arrows. Stop the archer.
“If all you do is try and catch arrows, you will get hit … Although I do say that when it comes to the two sides, I will always be on the side of the US and Israel, not Iran.
“That doesn’t mean that we should join … those strikes. It’s very, very important that we let people know what is going on. The government is trying to muddy the waters and stop criticism. I will not accept that – I’m going to do my job and make sure that they are held to account.”
Badenoch has repeatedly said she thinks the UK should be targeting Iranian weapons to prevent the country threatening British bases, but she has made clear she does not want to see “troops on the ground”.
Downing Street’s position is that the UK believes taking out Iranian launch sites would be legal as a defensive act, but the government is not planning to join this action other than allowing the use of its military bases by the US.
