Sir Keir Starmer has said Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon “shouldn’t be happening”, as the Prime Minister visited the Middle East to shore up the ceasefire between Iran, the US and Israel. In an interview with ITV, he called for the strikes, which have killed more than 250 people, to stop, dismissing arguments that they were not part of the ceasefire agreement.
Writing in the Guardian, Starmer said the conflict must become a “line in the sand” for UK security, prompting a fundamental reset including boosted defence spending and closer ties with Europe. He stressed that Britain had taken a separate path from the US by refusing to engage in offensive military action, and urged toll-free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz after Donald Trump mooted the idea of a “joint venture” to levy charges.
The Prime Minister’s comments echoed criticisms from Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Defence Secretary John Healey, who also condemned the escalation in Lebanon and called for the conflict to be brought within the terms of the ceasefire. Healey warned that any pay-for-passage tolls in the Strait of Hormuz would set a dangerous precedent that could be abused by others.
Starmer was obliquely critical of Trump’s language threatening Iran, saying such words were not ones he would ever use, and emphasised the need for the UK to build resilience through stronger alliances and long-term thinking. He argued that successive shocks like Brexit, Covid and Ukraine had prompted only “sticking plaster” responses, and that this time must be different.
