Four US B-1 Lancer bombers have landed at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire as part of what the Ministry of Defence described as 'specific defensive operations' to prevent Iran firing missiles into the Middle East. The aircraft, capable of carrying 24 cruise missiles each, arrived on Friday evening and Saturday morning after Prime Minister Keir Starmer granted permission for the US to use UK bases for defensive strikes against Iranian missile sites.
The deployment follows warnings from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that strikes on Iran would 'surge dramatically', with more fighter squadrons and bomber pulses expected. The UK's armed forces chief, Richard Knighton, said missions from Fairford could begin within days. Starmer also agreed to allow US operations from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
Starmer faced opposition from some cabinet ministers, including Yvette Cooper, Shabana Mahmood, Ed Miliband and Rachel Reeves, during a National Security Council meeting last Friday. However, he insisted all ministers supported the UK position. The prime minister has defended his decision to block initial offensive strikes by the US and Israel, denying it damaged the special relationship.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan backed Starmer's stance, criticising what he called a 'war of choice' waged without international consensus or UN approval. Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of being 'too scared to make foreign interventions' and claimed the UK is 'in this war whether Keir Starmer likes it or not'.
The MoD also confirmed that a Merlin helicopter, described as a 'submarine hunter', is being deployed to the Middle East for additional airborne surveillance. The Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon is expected to sail to the eastern Mediterranean next week, equipped for a prolonged deployment.
