Keir Starmer has been accused of jumping “into yet another Middle East illegal war” after agreeing to let America use UK bases to attack Iran.
The prime minister said he was “protecting British interests and British lives” after Iran launched missile attacks on countries across the Middle East.
That came after the US and Israel bombed Iran in a wave of strikes which killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei as well as other senior regime officials.
In a statement from Downing Street, Starmer insisted the UK was not involved in the initial attacks on Iran – and that its actions did not break international law.
The US will use British bases at RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia to carry out strikes on storage depots and the launchers use to fire missiles.
Starmer said: “Iran is pursuing a scorched earth strategy. So we are supporting the collective self-defence of our allies and our people in the region, because that is our duty to the British people.
“It is the best way to eliminate the urgent threat and prevent the situation spiralling further.
“This is the British government protecting British interests and British lives.”
But the PM’s decision has been condemned by left-wing politicians, including Green Party leader Zack Polanski.
He said: “It took just one phone call from Donald Trump for Starmer to jump into yet another Middle East illegal war, failing to learn the lessons of the tragedies of Iraq, Libya and Syria.”
It took just one phone call from Donald Trump for Starmer to jump into yet another Middle East illegal war, failing to learn the lessons of the tragedies of Iraq, Libya and Syria. https://t.co/IhCUF9XJ3m
Labour MPs also joined in the criticism of the PM’s decision.
The UK is now being drawn into a war that the UN considers is contrary to the duties international law places on states & which is a threat to international peace & security. Subservience to Trump should not be the basis of the UK’s foreign policy. Lessons from Iraq forgotten. https://t.co/yoPBzaqOhe
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey demanded MPs be given a vote on the prime minister’s decision.
He said: “No matter how the prime minister tries to redefine offensive as defensive, this is a slippery slope. He must not let Trump drag Britain into another prolonged war in the Middle East.
“Starmer must come to parliament, set out the legal case in full, and give MPs a vote.
“We have a duty to defend our brave British troops and citizens in the region, and that must be the focus of any operations. The UK must not be complicit in illegal military action.”
But Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Starmer had made the right decision “better late than never”.
Keir Starmer has finally given the US permission to use British bases to destroy Iranian missiles. Better late than never.
It looks like it will be a three-horse race (Picture: PA/Getty)
You’d be forgiven for thinking that today’s Gorton and Denton by-election in Manchester is a potentially earth-shattering, epochal, life-or-death moment for Sir Keir Starmer.
Especially if you’ve been going a little heavy on the political journalism.
Yes, we reporters do like to overegg these things. In the end, last year’s Reform by-election victory over Labour in Runcorn and Helsby told us one thing: people in Runcorn and Helsby liked Reform a bit more than Labour at that point in time.
So is anything different about this one?
I’m going to be iconoclastic here and say probably not, in the long run. They might increase pressure, but no Prime Minister has ever resigned due to a local by-election result because that would be bananas.
However – and it’s a big ‘however’ – that doesn’t mean the vote in Gorton and Denton will tell us nothing interesting.
Far from it. It’s a valuable glimpse at how Labour is performing in the sorts of places the party won easily a little over 18 months ago… and even before polling stations open, it doesn’t look great.
You’re reading an extract from Alright, Gov? – Metro’s politics newsletter
Every week, senior politics reporter Craig Munro breaks down the Westminster chaos into easy-to-follow insight, explaining how decisions made there affect your life. Sign up here for more.
Surveys conducted in the constituency since the by-election was announced have indicated it’s going to be extraordinarily tight, with both Reform and the Green Party sitting roughly equal with Labour.
Keep in mind what happened in Runcorn & Helsby last May, when Sarah Pochin won by just six votes.
With two Labour alternatives from very different parts of the political spectrum available this time, it’ll be fascinating to see what calculations voters make.
Who are the main characters?
In the red corner, we have Labour’s Angeliki Stogia. Of course, that almost wasn’t the case – if Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham had his way last month, he’d have been his party’s candidate.
Instead, he’s channelled his popularity into full-throated support for Stogia, who’s currently a city councillor for a ward slightly closer to the centre than Gorton and Denton.
The PM joined Angeliki Stogia to campaign in Manchester this week (Picture: Ian Forsyth/Getty)
The candidates have been campaigning for weeks to win over the British public (Picture: PA/Getty)
If she wins, it’ll be a big relief to Keir Starmer, who personally campaigned for her on Monday. Though of course, the margin of victory would give us plenty to talk about.
In the green corner, it’s Hannah Spencer for, uh, the Green Party. If you know one thing about her, it’s that she is a plumber – a job she says she’s done since leaving school at 16.
Party leader Zack Polanski has joked that the Houses of Parliament could benefit from a plumber due to their ‘leaky roofs’, and her Instagram handle is @hannahtheplumbermcr. But we also learned in a video this week that she can speak Urdu (a bit).
If she wins, it might be the worst-case scenario for Labour. It would demonstrate they can be just as vulnerable to populism on the left as populism on the right and blow apart their narrative that Labour is the only party that can beat Reform.
In the teal corner, we have Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin. He’s a bit of a celeb on the right-wing, with his own GB News show and a popular Substack.
Nigel Farage has put his faith in former academic Matt Goodwin (Picture: Gary Roberts/Getty)
He is from the local area and has made much of the fact he used to deliver pizzas in the constituency. But despite that, he’s decided to frame the by-election as a referendum on whether people like Keir Starmer.
If he wins, there might be a silver lining for the government – they could, at least, argue that the Green Party split the vote and handed Reform another MP.
That line could come in handy for the future.
What are the latest odds for the Gorton and Denton by-election?
On Thursday, one of the most unpredictable by-elections in years concludes. The Gorton & Denton by-election has been fiercely contested with the Green party and Reform leading the way according to the bookies.
Oddschecker says the Greens continue to be the odds-on favourites at 4/6 while Reform is priced at 5/2 to win the Greater Manchester constituency.
Oddschecker spokesman Chris Rogers stated, ‘A back-and-forth betting battle has ensued in the build-up to the Gorton & Denton by-election.
‘With just a day to go until it’s conclusion, there is nothing to split the Green party and Reform in the betting split. Green received 38% of bets placed over the last 12 hours while Reform was a fraction behind with 37%.
‘Hannah Spencer and Green continue to be the shortest priced party at 4/6 while Reform are being backed at 5/2. Labour (4/1) remains in contention for the constituency they have held since 1935.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: The UK beauty spot dubbed ‘the gates of hell’ due to haunting past
MORE: Royals are meant to be off-limits – but I was there when MPs let rip about Andrew
MORE: Man arrested after ‘serious axe incident’ at Manchester mosque
Zack Polanski has demanded Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell apologise for a by-election campaign leaflet featuring a fake tactical voting company.
The offending literature was sent to voters in Gorton and Denton on the eve of a crunch poll in the Labour-held seat.
It says: “The Tactical Choice says Vote Labour. Based on a new prediction made in the last 24 hours we are recommending voting Labour.”
However, no organisation called “Tactical Choice” actually exists.
Three real tactical voting organisations have already recommended voters back the Greens to stop Reform winning.
The leaflet says it is promoted on behalf of Labour candidate Angeliki Stogia.
Labour is locked in a three-way battle with the Green Party and Reform UK in the seat.
Bookies make the Greens odds-on favourites, followed by Reform and then Labour, for whom Andrew Gwynne won the seat at the 2024 general election with a majority of nearly 13,500.
In a letter to Powell on Wednesday night, Polanski accused Labour of “lying to voters”.
He said: “Did you approve this? Do you feel the Labour Party in government should be held to different standards in terms of honesty to the British public?”
Polanski added: “Lying to the voters, as you have been caught doing, raises the real prospect that Reform will be the beneficiaries, something you have said that you don’t want.
“As this is such an important issue, for the sake of your own reputation, I would strongly urge you to apologise to the voters of Denton and Gorton before the polls open in the morning.”
HuffPost UK has approached Labour for comment.
Meanwhile, Keir Starmer said the choice for voters in the by-election was “unity or division”.
He said: “Driving down the cost of living with Labour or driving a wedge between communities under Reform. Moving forwards together, or opening up anger and division that holds our country back.
“Reform’s Matthew Goodwin thinks people who aren’t white can’t be English and wants women who choose not to have children to pay more tax. Vote Labour in Gorton and Denton today to send him and his toxic politics packing.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “Our message on election day is clear.
“The prime minister is panicking and knows he has broken his promises to the British people. Vote Reform to ditch Starmer.”
Zack Polanski will not run against Diane Abbott in any future general election, HuffPost UK can reveal.
The Green Party leader has previously suggested he could stand in the Labour veteran’s Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat as he bids to become an MP for the first time.
He said he would consider running in Hackney, Tottenham and Walthamstow to capitalise in the “surge” in support for the Greens.
Left-winger Abbott, who has represented her seat since 1987, now sits as an independent after losing the Labour Party whip in a row over anti-Semitism.
But speaking to HuffPost UK this week, Polanski appeared to backtrack on his previous comments and said that he would not want to challenge Abbott.
“I think Diane Abbott’s wonderful, and I’d be highly unlikely to run against her,” he told HuffPost UK.
He said he’s more likely to compete against David Lammy, the deputy prime minister and justice secretary who has been the Labour MP for Tottenham since 2000.
Polanski also said he would consider running against Stella Creasy, the Labour MP for Walthamstow.
The next general election is expected to take place in 2029.
Polanski also appeared to confirm that he will stand to be re-elected Green Party when his current term runs out.
Under the party’s rules, a leader’s term can only last for two years before members are given another vote on who should be in charge.
Polanski told HuffPost UK that he “imagines” he will be will run to be leader for a second term.
Polanski also insisted he was not in a “hurry” to be an MP any time soon.
Pointing to the Greens’ rapid increase in membership after it surged to 170,000 late last year, Polanski added: “A Green Party can be and will be successful, whether its leaders [are] inside parliament or outside.
“I want to represent a constituency because I also think that’s another set of skills I can bring to a party, but actually I see that as a separate role to being the leader of a party, which is actually to champion all the brilliant candidates we’ve got across the country.”
