Keir Starmer dodged on whether Iran can hit Britain with missiles today as he pleaded for Donald Trump to ‘de-escalate’ the war.
The PM did not give a direct answer when challenged on signs the Tehran regime has a longer range arsenal than previously thought.
Alarm was sparked after two missiles were fired at the Diego Garcia military base on Friday, 2,360 miles from Iran.
One was shot down by a US warship while the other reportedly fell into the ocean around 400 miles short.
Israel said the attacks proved Iran ‘can reach London, Paris or Berlin‘, urging more countries to join the war.
Ministers have been trying to play down concerns that the UK does not have adequate defences to deal with any missiles.
On another brutal day of Middle East turmoil:
- The FTSE 100 index has continued to plunge, with around £330billion now wiped off the value of British companies since the US-Israeli attacks began on February 28;
- The UK government’s borrowing costs are now at the highest level since 2007, raising questions about the public finances;
- Sir Keir will hold a ‘Cobra’ emergency meeting amid fears of panic buying at pumps and a cost-of-living disaster for families;
- Mr Trump has set a deadline of just before midnight for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face power plants being ‘obliterated’;
- There are concerns that the Iranian regime will keep control of who can pass through the Strait even if the US and Israel stop bombing.
Keir Starmer did not give a direct answer when challenged on signs the Tehran regime has a longer range arsenal than previously thought
A Khorramshahr-4 missile is launched at an undisclosed location in Iran
Asked this morning whether Britain was within range of Iranian strikes, the PM merely said there was ‘no assessment that we’re being targeted’.
Sir Keir told broadcasters: ‘We carry out assessments all the time in order to keep us safe, and there’s no assessment that we’re being targeted in that way at all.
‘But of course, it’s my job to ensure that British interests, British lives are always uppermost in my mind.
‘What we need here is de-escalation, and that’s why we had a statement from a number of countries last week about what we need to do about the Strait of Hormuz, which obviously needs careful coordination and a viable plan.
‘But it’s very important we defend our interests, we defend British lives, but without getting dragged into the war, and that’s the clear divide I’ve put in place.’
Sir Keir discussed the Iran war and how to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz with Mr Trump in a 20-minute call last night.
No10 tried to play down tensions between the pair over the mounting crisis in the Middle East following US-Israeli strikes, insisting the chat was ‘constructive’.
But shortly before the conversation, the president spread a toe-curling clip from the British version of ‘Saturday Night Live‘ on his Truth Social platform.
The scene from the show – which aired for the first time on Sky this weekend – depicts the PM in No 10 too terrified to pick up the phone to talk to Mr Trump about Iran.
‘What if Donald shouts at me?’ the comedian playing Sir Keir says to his deputy, David Lammy. When ‘Mr Trump’ answers he immediately hangs up in a panic.
The real Mr Trump has repeatedly vented fury at Sir Keir’s reluctance to take a bigger military role, branding him ‘disappointing’ and ‘no Churchill’.
He has also called Nato countries – including the UK – ‘cowards’ for not sending warships to the Strait of Hormuz.
Polls have suggested the British public is extremely wary about taking part in the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, which have caused carnage in oil and gas supplies and raised fears of a global recession.
An aerial view of Diego Garcia, which faced an attempted rocket attack this weekend
The blue-chip FTSE 100 has continued its plunge, having lost more than 1,100 since the end of February
Interest rates on 10-year gilts were spiking again this morning as concerns rise
An Opinium survey released over the weekend found that Sir Keir’s personal ratings have improved by 11 points since the start of the strikes, albeit remaining at a dire low.
The UK has given US forces the green light to run ‘defensive’ operations from its military sites, such as Diego Garcia.
On Friday evening, Sir Keir extended that to action aiming to reopen the Strait of Hormuz – amid mounting panic over choked off oil supplies.
However, another clash could be looming, with Government sources making clear the UK has not agreed to facilitate attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Mr Trump has set a deadline of just before midnight for Iran to reopen the Strait ‘fully’, or face ‘obliteration’ of its power plants.
