David Lammy dodged on whether the Cabinet was split over joining Donald Trump’s Iran strikes today – as he called for an investigation into leaks from a national security meeting.
The Deputy PM merely insisted he did not ‘recognise’ claims that ministers had been at loggerheads over how to respond to a US request for assistance.
But he appeared to conceded the account was well-founded as he said the emergence of the information ‘puts lives at risk’.
Speaking on Sky News, Mr Lammy said: ‘I don’t recognise those reports and I have to say I think it is a travesty that any anyone should report from a National Security Council… because of course it puts British lives at risk and I hope that is properly investigated.’
The comments came after details were revealed of a bruising discussion when Keir Starmer held a meeting of the National Security Council last Friday, less than 24 hours before the American-Israeli strikes began.
David Lammy dodged on whether the Cabinet was split over joining Donald Trump’s Iran strikes today
The comments came after details were revealed of a bruising discussion when Keir Starmer held a meeting of the National Security Council last Friday
Ed Miliband – nicknamed ‘Red Ed’ – Rachel Reeves and Yvette Cooper are said to have urged Sir Keir to shun the US assault on Iran, pointing to the domestic political situation.
Security sources said Mr Miliband took a ‘petulant, pacifist, legalistic and very political approach’ at a meeting of the National Security Council last Friday – the day before the US attack began, and just hours after Labour suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Greens in the Gorton and Denton by-election.
He and Ms Reeves are said to have ‘made it quite difficult for the Prime Minister’, while Ms Cooper adopted the ‘cautious approach of the Foreign Office’.
Mr Trump was incensed by Sir Keir’s initial refusal to let the US use UK bases for the joint attacks with Israel – with the Transatlantic wrangling said to have been going on for weeks.
That was later partially walked back by the PM under huge pressure, with ‘defensive’ actions permitted. There had been warnings that the US could simply use the bases anyway and dare Britain to stop them.
Mr Trump condemned the premier as ‘disappointing’ and ‘no Churchill’ on Tuesday, as the situation became more personal.
But at PMQs yesterday Sir Keir accused Mr Trump of lacking a ‘viable, thought-through plan’.
He said letting the US use UK bases to shoot down drones ‘is the special relationship in action’ but ‘hanging on to President Trump’s latest words is not’.
Labour MP John McDonnell told ITV’s Peston last night that he was not surprised Sir Keir rejected the request from the US.
‘I don’t think he had a choice then… we’d just lost a by-election, crushed in a by-election, we’ve got elections coming up in May in local government,’ the former frontbencher said.
‘I’m not sure whether he would have survived as PM if he’d gone along with Trump automatically.’
According to the revelations from the Spectator, the national security discussion came down to the legality of the proposed action and whether ‘a positive relationship with the US was a good thing right now for the party’.
The PM is said to have been on the receiving end of several ‘very angry’ phone calls from Mr Trump over the use of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire to mount bombing raids.
However, sources suggested that legal objections were conveyed to the US days before the final decision.
A Downing Street spokesman said: ‘We never comment on the content of National Security Council meetings.
‘The decision had the full support of the Cabinet, including all the members of the National Security Council.’
Mr Trump has not denied calling Sir Keir a ‘loser’ as he continues to fume at the Prime Minister for failing to back his military action against Iran.
The US President is furious at Sir Keir for his refusal to allow American jets to launch offensive strikes on Tehran from British bases.
In an interview with the New York Post, Mr Trump issued a fresh blast at the PM by saying the UK had been ‘very disappointing’.
Asked about explosive claims he had called Sir Keir a ‘loser’ in private conversations, the US President did not deny the reports.
‘Well, he’s not Winston Churchill, let me put it that way,’ Mr Trump replied, as he repeated an attack on the PM he also made earlier in the week.
He said he was ‘very surprised’ at Sir Keir and ‘very disappointed’, adding: ‘I get along with him fine. But he sometimes doesn’t do things that he should be doing.’
Mr Miliband (left) – nicknamed ‘Red Ed’ and touted as a replacement leader – Rachel Reeves (right) and Yvette Cooper are said to have urged Sir Keir to shun the US assault on Iran
