Donald Trump has embarrassed Prime Minister Andy Burnham by withdrawing all US B-1 bomber jets from RAF Fairford, a move described as a whopping vote of no confidence in him and the country he leads.
The withdrawal comes as Britain faces threats centred on the heavily guarded Gloucestershire base from Tehran and its proxies. The US removed all of its warplanes following an alleged bomb plot on September 27.
No reason given for abrupt withdrawal
No reason has been given for the abrupt withdrawal, but it comes just a week after five men were arrested on suspicion of terror offences, believed to be linked to Iran. A sixth man, a UK-Iranian national, was subsequently arrested and released on bail.
The US withdrew its bomber jets after air force commanders received new reports of an Iran-backed plot against the base. The Pentagon said all aircraft deployed to the West Country base, which US forces have used to strike Iran, have returned to the United States.
Trump's patience wearing thin
It is clear that Trump has been losing patience with a Labour government that dithers and delays on defence, but remains steadfast in its ideological belief of showering handouts to the feckless.
When Keir Starmer was PM, the US had sought to use the military base in Diego Garcia on the Chagos Islands, but he refused, only agreeing to the US request to use British military bases subsequently for "defensive" strikes on Iranian missile sites. Trump said he was "not happy with the UK" because it meant US planes "flying many extra hours".
UK left considerably weaker
Royal Navy warship HMS Dragon was eventually dispatched to the Mediterranean Sea but only after RAF Akrotiri was hit by drone strikes. Starmer eventually relented and agreed to the US request to use British military bases - RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia - but said the Government "does not believe in regime change from the skies".
Britain played no active part in the US bombing of Iran, undertaken on Israel's behalf, but belatedly sanctioned the use of RAF Fairford as a launchpad for long range bombers. The rogue Islamic state promised retribution - publicly threatening to target military bases in the UK - a warning that appears to have come true.
The current threat level to the UK from terrorist attacks is severe - meaning an attack is highly likely. At a time when we need every ally we can find, it hardly instills confidence that the US has withdrawn its aircraft - presumably because they feel one of their most sophisticated forward-operating bases in Europe cannot be protected.
In doing so, the UK has been left considerably weaker and the move will leave many asking what Burnham and Labour are doing to fulfil their first and most important job: to keep the country and its people safe.
