"Cabinet ministers, led by energy secretary Ed Miliband, blocked Keir Starmer from allowing Donald Trump to use British airbases for its attacks on Iran. Chancellor Rachel Reeves, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper and home secretary Shabana Mahmood rallied behind Miliband to oppose the prime minister granting the US permission to use bases in Gloucestershire and the Chagos Islands for bombing runs to the Middle East."
"Attorney general Richard Hermer advised that his would be a breach of international law and Britain cannot facilitate, let alone participate. He said that the Ministry of Defence worked with and advised its US counterparts on how draft the request and, by Sunday afternoon, the national security council gave the green light for US to launch defensive strikes more than 24 hours after its first pre-emptive strike on Iran."
"The US decision to cut the UK out of the official loop on the airstrikes alongside Keir Starmer's decision to decline permission for the US to use British military bases for the operation. UK officials believe a drone that hit an RAF base in Cyprus evaded detection by flying low and slow when it was launched by pro-Iranian militia in Lebanon or western Iraq."
Cabinet ministers led by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband opposed Prime Minister Keir Starmer's decision to permit the United States to use British military bases in Gloucestershire and the Chagos Islands for bombing operations against Iran. Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood supported Miliband's position, while Defence Secretary Jon Healey backed Starmer. Attorney General Richard Hermer advised that granting such permission would breach international law. The US initially requested permission on 11 February, but after cabinet pressure, Starmer declined. The Ministry of Defence coordinated with US counterparts on the request. Additionally, the US conducted joint airstrikes with Israel on Iran without sharing operational details with the UK beforehand, and a drone hit an RAF base in Cyprus.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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