LONDON — The growing crisis in the Middle East has turned new scrutiny on how well-prepared Britain is to defend itself in an increasingly dangerous world.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is allowing the U.S. to use its military bases for “defensive” strikes against Iranian missile launch capability — though he drew ire from Donald Trump nonetheless for taking “far too long” to reach that decision.
Starmer also deployed aircraft over the Middle East to “protect our people, our interests and our allies,” shortly before an Iranian drone hit an RAF base in Cyprus, though it remains unclear how the government will assist thousands of Britons stuck in Gulf countries that have closed their airspace.
It all comes as the U.K., like other European allies, has pledged to increase defense spending to satisfy Trump and keep the transatlantic relationship steady — with an eye to the existing conflict in Ukraine, rather than the current conflict initiated by joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Starmerdefended Britain’s position Monday, telling parliament: “It is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest. That is what I have done. And I stand by it.” He insisted that the U.K. had learned lessons from the “mistakes of Iraq” and would steer clear of offensive action.
Yet the conflict unfolding in the Middle East is already exposing pressure points in U.K. security, arising from a lack of resources and the difficulty of managing relations with an unpredictable U.S. administration.
Defenses tested
Iran’s drone strike on RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus has turned attention to Britain’s air defenses, which have long needed upgrading.
George Robertson, a Labour peer and lead author of the Strategic Defence Review, told POLITICO last year that “the lack of comprehensive air and missile defense is something which I think the public are unaware of.”
The U.K. has also successfully intercepted some missiles and drones since the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran were initiated, but analysts and politicians have both pointed to holes in the U.K.’s air defenses.
Ed Arnold, senior research fellow at the RUSI, said: “The base in Akrotiri should be absolutely impenetrable to drones. There’s no excuse for it not being … It just highlights the fact that we don’t have any real air defense and that we’re not really prepared for it.”
The Ministry of Defence insists force protection in the region is at its highest level, while U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey said: “Our jets and equipment at RAF Akrotiri are ready to defend British people, our bases, and our allies in the region and I am proud of the professionalism of our Armed Forces’ and their families.”
At the same time, even the limited cooperation Britain has promised the U.S. could prove difficult to navigate.
On Monday, Starmer’s spokesman told journalists that the U.K.’s permission for U.S. use of its bases was “specific and limited.”
But two government officials, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said those limits could come under strain as the conflict continues, noting that the Trump administration is not exactly known for playing by the rules and could decide to deploy from the bases.
Fresh allegiances
In theory, this backdrop could increase the motivation for the U.K. to move closer to European allies.
Starmer has embraced the idea of closer defense ties with Europe since taking office, and signed a new mutual defense pact with Germany – as well as refreshing the Lancaster House agreement with France. He has also promised to work more closely with the EU on defense financing.
Calvin Bailey, a Labour MP on the Commons defence committee, said: “The clear shift in US focus to the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific, evidenced again by current events, shows again how important it is to galvanize our defense relationships with European partners.”
Starmer’s early response to the Iran strikes saw him reach for that forum, as the E3 issued a joint statement.
The situation Britain faces is similar to that of France, which has naval bases in the Gulf. Ben Judah, a former adviser to Starmer’s government on foreign policy, said the U.K. ought to consider working with France to “establish an independent defensive mission” that is not under American command.
London has so far resisted calls by allies to adopt a posture that is more explicitly independent of the U.S. And it’s not clear that working more closely with European partners would be any easier.
While Greece deployed warships and fighter jets to Cyprus, Cyprus’s government openly expressed dissatisfaction with the U.K., effectively accusing Britain of dragging it into the crisis.
Arnold argued it was “particularly painful” for the U.K. to face the prospect of further conflict in the region, as “it just sucks capacity out domestically and internationally, exactly when the Europeans want all of the focus to be on Ukraine and Europe.”
Labour’s Bailey warned: “Continuing to arm Ukraine’s defense and maintaining deterrence against Russia requires both a faster pace of defense spending [by the U.K.] and strategic restraint [by the U. S.] that we are not seeing right now.”
