KEIR Starmer has been accused of providing "political cover" for Israel and the US after Donald Trump attacked Iran's nuclear sites.
The Prime Minister has been urged to push for de-escalation of the conflict through diplomacy, while others criticised the UK’s response as “siding with the aggressors” and "enabling escalation".
On Sunday, Trump ordered US planes and submarines to attack Iran’s nuclear programme, hitting three sites including the Fordo facility, which is buried deep underground.
Tehran has threatened to retaliate and Trump has warned of further US action if necessary, saying: “There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran.”
Following the attack, Starmer said the US had taken action to "alleviate" the threat of Iran developing a nuclear reaponse.
However, his response was dubbed “gaslighting” by former first minister Humza Yousaf.
Others have been critical of the UK’s actions, with the Scottish Greens stating that it was a “deplorable response”.
Co-leader Patrick Harvie said: “It’s all too predictable.
“Israel expanding its war at a time when negotiations were imminent, and high-level meetings between Iran and the US were already beginning to take place, is an outrage. UN experts have called it a ‘flagrant violation’ of international law and a ‘blatant act of aggression.’
“The UK’s response has done nothing but encourage this escalation, from its ongoing material support for Israel’s routine atrocities in Gaza, to the political cover it’s now providing Israel and the US as they intensify their bombing of Iran.”
“Rather than being a voice for peace, Keir Starmer has shown a reckless disregard for international law and sided with the aggressors.
“In doing so he is only contributing to further death, destruction, and instability for people in the middle east and the wider world.”
It comes after First Minister John Swinney said the UK must push for a diplomatic solution.
He warned the US intervention "risks spiralling into disaster for the region and the wider world".
Speaking to journalists at his Chequers country retreat, Starmer said there was a “risk of escalation” adding: “That’s a risk to the region. It’s a risk beyond the region, and that’s why all our focus has been on de-escalating, getting people back around to negotiate what is a very real threat in relation to the nuclear programme.
“In relation to the UK, we were not involved in the attack.
“We were given due notice, as we would expect, as close allies to the US, and we have been moving assets to the region to make sure we’re in a position to protect our own interests, our personnel and our assets, and, of course, those of our allies.”
The US action comes just days after the PM, who attended the G7 summit in Canada with Trump, said on Tuesday there was “nothing” from the President to suggest he was about to get involved in the conflict.
Asked if he had been left looking foolish by the UK’s closest ally ignoring his calls for de-escalation and pushing ahead with military strikes, the Prime Minister said: “It’s clearly a fast-moving situation and there’s been a huge amount of discussion in the days since the G7 ended.”
Starmer sought to dodge questions about whether the UK could get dragged into the conflict if Iran targeted the bases of the US, a Nato ally.
“I’m not going to speculate about what may happen, because all of my focus is on de-escalation,” he said.
“But I do want to reassure the public we have taken all necessary measures to protect UK interests, UK personnel and to work with our allies to protect their interests as well.”
The PM chaired a meeting of the Government’s Cobra crisis committee on Sunday afternoon and has held a series of calls with world leaders.
The US attacked Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz which are linked to Iran’s nuclear programme.
The Tehran regime has insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful but its uranium enrichment process has gone far beyond what is required for power stations.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the US attack was taking “decisive action against a regime that fuels global terror and directly threatens the UK”.
She added that the UK should “stand firmly” with the US and Israel.
The foreign ministry in Tehran issued a statement condemning “the United States’ brutal military aggression against Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities”.
It added: “The Islamic Republic of Iran is resolved to defend Iran’s territory, sovereignty, security and people by all force and means against the United States’ criminal aggression.”
Trump said any retaliation would be met with “force far greater” than that used in the initial strikes.
