Kemi Badenoch has denied calling for the UK to join Donald Trump's war on Iran, after previously saying Keir Starmer should do more to 'stop the people who are attacking us'. The Conservative leader faced accusations of a confused position from Labour following her comments on the BBC.
On Tuesday, Badenoch was asked whether it was 'coherent to call for the UK to join the war, to not question the endgame strategy and at the same time complain about rising energy bills?' She replied that she had not called for the UK to join the war but supported the actions of the US and Israel. 'I said that we support their actions. I never said we should join,' she said.
Badenoch added: 'I did say that where British bases are being attacked, we should do more than catch the arrows. We should stop the people who are attacking us. Stop the archer.' She explained that taking out missile launchers would prevent further attacks, saying: 'If all you do is try and catch arrows, you will get hit.'
She reiterated that she is 'always on the side of the US and Israel, not Iran', but stressed that does not mean the UK should join strikes. Badenoch has repeatedly said the UK should target Iranian weapons to protect British bases but does not want 'troops on the ground'. Downing Street maintains that taking out Iranian launch sites would be legal as a defensive act, but the government is not planning to join the action beyond allowing US use of its military bases.
