Keir Starmer is weighing up whether to back the US and – as a lawyer – will be aware of the legal landscape
Middle East crisis – live updates
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As Keir Starmer considers whether Britain should support the US if Donald Trump decides to bomb Iran, the attorney general, Richard Hermer, has reportedly warned him that UK involvement could be illegal. The prime minister was an outspoken opponent of the Iraq war when he was a human rights lawyer in 2003 and will be well aware of the thorny legal issues around engagement in strikes against Iran.
British officials have repeatedly emphasised that the UK is not expected to deploy its military forces in any attack on Iran. Instead, a key issue would probably be whether to give permission for the US to fly B-2 stealth bombers from the Diego Garcia airbase in the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia, which is the subject of a new 99-year lease agreement with Mauritius that leaves the UK in full operational control, is mainly used by the US. But the fact it is ultimately a British base means that Starmer would have to approve its use for an attack. RAF Akrotiri, Britain’s base in southern Cyprus, is also a potential launch site for US aircraft. Any use of the base by US forces would require the green light from the British government.
