Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has pushed back against Tony Blair’s assertion that the UK should have supported Donald Trump’s initial airstrikes on Iran, insisting that Britain must “learn the lessons” of the Iraq war. Speaking on Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Cooper said she disagreed with the former prime minister’s remarks.
Blair, speaking at a private Jewish News event on Friday, argued that Keir Starmer “should have backed America from the very beginning” and allowed the Trump administration to use British airbases. He described the US as “an indispensable cornerstone for your security” and said alliances are tested “when it’s hard”. The comments came as Trump intensified criticism of Starmer over the lack of immediate UK support for US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Cooper rejected the idea that the UK should always agree with the US, stating: “There are some people in politics who think that we should always agree with the US whatever. There are other people in politics who think we should never take action with the US again whatever the circumstances. I don’t think either of those positions is in the UK national interest.” She added that Starmer is acting responsibly for British citizens.
When asked if she was calling Blair “a poodle”, Cooper said: “I think the point is to make sure that, actually, we learn the lessons from some of the things that went wrong in Iraq, and I think that is exactly what Keir Starmer has done.” Blair, who faced fierce criticism over the 2003 Iraq invasion, had reportedly made his views known to the government privately.
Cooper also responded to Trump’s repeated attacks on Starmer, including the US president saying Starmer’s help was not needed in Iran and that he was “not Winston Churchill”. She told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “It’s for the US president to decide what he thinks is in the US national interest… But it is our job as the UK government to decide what’s in the UK national interest.”
Meanwhile, Iranian Ambassador Seyed Ali Mousavi warned the UK to be “very careful” about further involvement, saying Iran would have a “right to self-defence” if the UK directly joined attacks. Britain has permitted the US to use its bases for defensive strikes but has not participated in direct attacks.
