MINISTERS are under pressure to release legal advice on Israel’s war on Iran after reports said the Attorney General had raised concerns about the UK getting involved.
Lord Hermer warned that UK involvement beyond defending Israel, which started the war with a wave of strikes on Friday, would be illegal under international law, The Spectator reports.
Brendan O'Hara, the SNP's Middle East spokesperson, said: "People are rightly fearful of the unfolding conflict in the Middle East. That understandable fear shouldn't be escalated by the UK Government concealing legal advice from the Attorney General and failing the test of transparency by refusing to release the evidence they have received.
"The dangers of this moment mean that people have a right to know. "
The Attorney General was said to have “concerns about the UK playing any role in this except for defending our allies”, according to a source who spoke to The Spectator.
O'Hara added: "The shadow and stain of the approach to evidence taken by Tony Blair's government when it came to the Middle East should be at the forefront of minds in Whitehall – Keir Starmer would be well advised not to repeat the massive mistakes of Labour's past.
"The political establishment in Westminster have frighteningly short memories if they believe that being bounced into a conflict in the Middle East won't come at a devastating cost to the region, its people and the wider world. That is why the only calm, logical and rational response is to demand de-escalation before this conflict spirals beyond control."
It comes as the UK awaits Donald Trump’s next move as he failed to confirm whether America would join Israel in bombing Iran.
Asked about reports that Trump had approved a plan to attack Iran but not yet ordered strikes, the Prime Minister said: “Obviously all of us, UK included, are very concerned about the nuclear programme that Iran is developing, we’ve long been concerned about that. Also, [we] completely recognise Israel’s right to self-defence, but the principle is that we need to de-escalate this.
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“There’s a real risk of escalation here that will impact the region, possibly beyond the region, akin to Gaza, and obviously it’s already having an impact on the economy. So I’ve been absolutely clear we need to de-escalate this. Yes, the nuclear issue has to be dealt with, but it’s better dealt with by way of negotiations than by way of conflict.”
David Lammy (below) flew to the US on Thursday to meet his American counterpart Marco Rubio, with Whitehall sources telling The Guardian the UK’s priorities were diplomacy and de-escalation.
Starmer convened a Cobra meeting on Wednesday and is considering both whether to support US strikes on Iran and whether to approve the use of the Diego Garcia military base in the Chagos Islands for attacks.
A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s office said: “By longstanding convention, reflected in the ministerial code, [the question of] whether the law officers have been asked to provide legal advice and the content of any advice is not routinely disclosed. The convention provides the fullest guarantee that government business will be conducted at all times in light of thorough and candid legal advice.”
Labour’s Emily Thornberry, chair of the foreign affairs select committee, said going to war with Iran would not be “justifiable”. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s World at One, she added: “I think the only way in which we are going to solve this matter is through negotiations.”
