Starmer’s ‘purely defensive’ stance has won support among voters, but what challenges lie ahead for each party when it comes to their base’s view of war?
Facing one of the most challenging moments of his premiership, Keir Starmer may at least draw comfort from polling showing that the British public broadly support his position on the conflict in Iran.
Nearly half (46%) believe the UK military position should be purely defensive, tasked with shooting down drones and defending civilian areas and British military facilities such as an RAF base on Cyprus.
The findings – based on a YouGov poll of 6,285 adults in Britain this week – came as the UK government faced criticism from Cyprus for not doing enough to protect the island. There have also been claims from Donald Trump that the UK has failed to support the US, with the US president saying on social media: “We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won”. Meanwhile, former prime minister Tony Blair said that Keir Starmer “should have backed America from the very beginning”.
Despite those criticisms, it is Starmer’s rightwing opponents who appear to be walking more of a political tightrope. Tim Bale, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London and historian of the Conservatives, said: “The Tories and Reform have more problems when it comes to how their leaders are responding in both cases and what their voters want to hear.”
