LIVE: Starmer faces grilling on British involvement in Iran conflict

^{Tom Grant, March 04 2025}

Sir Keir Starmer said he had been "liaising closely with the United States", despite the US president's comments about British involvement.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Britain is to send the HMS Dragon and further helicopters to Cyprus in the coming days
• 1,000 Brits have already returned home, with further expatriation flights expected
• The Prime Minister has said it is "vital" to keep the Strait of Hormuz open in order to keep household bills down
• British involvement includes working with the US to "shoot down drones and missiles" and "share intelligence", and American planes are operating out of British airbases
• Labour have defended their defence budget, after the OBR predicted the government won't hit 3 per cent on the spending for at least five years

12:39 PMQs is over for another week
A slightly longer Prime Minister's Questions has ended, with the last remaining questions covering debates on medicinal cannabis, the rape and grooming gangs inquiry and endometriosis awareness month, and of course a mention of Peter Mandelson to finish.

Many on social media are unimpressed with Badenoch's performance, saying she has returned to her old ways.

12:32 Is the US-UK "special relationship" under threat?
Gareth Bacon (Con, Orpington) questioned the Prime Minister as to whether his "dithering response" to the Iran conflict had made British-American relations "stronger or weaker?"
“The American planes are operating out of British airbases, that is the special relationship in action. British jets are shooting down drones and missiles to protect American lives in the Middle East on our joint bases. That’s the special relationship action, sharing intelligence every day to keep our people safe, that is the special relationship in action. Hanging on to President Trump’s latest words is not the special relationship,” replied Starmer.

12:31 Some light relief for Starmer
Finally we've had laughter in the Commons over the last five minutes, with questions from a myriad of MPs covering funding for national art centres and adequate temporary accommodation, to improving school buildings and the creation of a DWP youth hub in Ayrshire. Now, it's back to the main news on the agenda, the conflict in Iran.

After his earlier quips, James Cleverly has now taken to X to berate the Prime Minister.

12:25 DUP want more on defence
Gabin Robinson (DUP, Belfast East) began by agreeing with Starmer’s remarks on Sarah Everard and the government’s stance on Iran.
“Will the Prime Minister understand that I welcome the commitment for increased defence spending but if we are only planning to get to 2.5 per cent by 2027, it is not enough. It needs to be reconsidered. He needs to go faster where others before him did not. And he needs to take the steps not just for the protection of our values across the world but for the protection of our consumers who are impacted by this conflict here today.”
Starmer responded by mentioning the increased defence spending to 2.6 per cent of GDP, but also said that it should continue to increase through the “strategic defence revue”.

12:22 Starmer "working on threats to this country"
“We are working 24/7 on dealing with any threats to this country,” said Starmer.
He mentioned the previous “20 Iran backed threats [the government] had successfully dealt with” and that they’re continuing operations there.
The government has already put restrictions on the IRGC.

Who are the IRGC?

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] are "one of the most powerful organisations in Iran". They were originally conceived after the 1979 revolution, and are now a "critical link to Islamist militant groups violently opposed to Israel and the United States". Recently, there has been worldwide condemnation of the group for their role in violent crackdowns in Iran. This led to the European Union and other major bodies proscribing them a terrorist organisation.

12:21 Davey asks to proscribe the IRGC as 'terrorists'
“Iran’s Revolutionary Guard [IRGC] has previously plotted several failed terrorist attacks in the UK, targeting Iranian journalists, British Jews and members of this House. Now they are more desperate than ever.
We’ve called for the IRGC to be proscribed as terrorists for years. The last government failed to do it and so has his,” said Davey.
He asked the Prime Minister whether the IRGC would be proscribed as terrorists this week.

12:20 Starmer understands 'importance' of energy bills
“I was glad we were able to bring energy bills down by £150. We will keep a close eye on this. I do know how important it is for the British public” said Starmer.

12:20 Democrat Davey stands up
Now we’ve got the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey. He began by agreeing with the Prime Minister’s remarks on Sarah Everard, and further associating himself with his remarks on the conflict in Iran.
“As we rightly debate how to make tax exiles pay their fair share, it is absolutely right the Government does everything it can to get all British citizens to safety.
“Mr Speaker, experts are warning that families could see their energy bills rise by £500 a year as a result of Trump’s illegal war, but millions of families and pensioners are already struggling to keep their heads above water thanks to years of a cost of living crisis.
“When Putin invaded Ukraine, he and I campaigned for months to get the Conservatives to act on energy bills. This time, will the Prime Minister save families that anxiety and give a cast-iron guarantee today that he will not let energy bills rise by £500 this year?”

12:17 “Moments like this define a leader of the opposition”
Starmer said he spent the week “protecting British lives and our national interests," before attacking Badenoch, saying that “moments like this define a leader of the opposition”.
“They can either step up, act in the national interest and show that they are fit to be Prime Minister, or they can expose their utter irrelevance! She has chosen the second!”
He knew her time was up for this week, and she is now left looking rather bewildered without a chance to make a comeback.

12:17 First mention of Gorton and Denton
Bingo cards at the ready as we hear the first mention of Gorton and Denton.
“The situation in Iran shows the Prime Minister has the wrong priorities,” said Kemi Badenoch, repeating her previous points on defence spending.
Before mentioning last week's disastrous by-election for Labour, Badenoch ended by saying that Starmer is “prioritising his job security over our national security”.

Starmer not responding to Badenoch's questions is being picked up by viewers at home, including former Fat Families presenter and Reform UK supporter Steve Miller.

12:16 Confusion in the chamber
“Can I finish my question?” said the Leader of the Opposition, as the Prime Minister stands to speak instead.
The Speaker of the House had called order to Labour MPs, with Starmer accidentally standing up, believing he were due to speak instead of Badenoch.
James Cleverly, shadow housing secretary, can be heard shouting and jeering at the Prime Minister about how he has spent this week's PMQs refusing to answer Mrs Badenoch’s questions anyway.

12:16 Badenoch calls energy transition “basic stuff”
Kemi Badenoch has claimed that the Prime Minister “doesn’t understand his policy” as “you do not need to stop drilling in oil and gas to get renewable energy”.
Again, hats off to today’s Parliament TV producer, who very quickly cut to a rather shocked front bench after Badenoch calls the government “a sea of orcs and goons”.

What is the Strait of Hormuz?

The Strait of Hormuz lies between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, providing the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, making it one of the world's most strategically important choke points. Iran lies on its north coast, and around 20 per cent of the world's liquefied natural gas and 25 per cent of seaborne oil trade passes through the strait annually.

12:15 “Vital” to keep Strait of Hormuz open
Starmer recognised Badenoch’s point that energy prices are an important aspect to everyone’s lives.
He said that the Chancellor is to meet with oil and gas companies to discuss surging prices, and that it is “vital” that the Strait of Hormuz remains open.
The Prime Minister finished by saying that renewable energy is the best place for Britain, “where we have our independence and security, [and] take us off those markets”.

12:14 “They’re not just pathetic, they’re also weak”
Kemi Badenoch is rather unimpressed by the government’s defence spending plans, and has continued to rip into yesterday's budget.
Seeking the Speaker of the House’s support, she called the government “pathetic”, before saying “they’re also weak” for spending “money on welfare instead of defence”.
She used this to leapfrog into her next point: the cost of living. Badenoch said the Prime Minister is “stopping drilling in the North Sea while importing the same oil and gas from Norway.”

12:13 Starmer claps back with Labour’s latest budget
If you didn’t see Rachel Reeves’ spring statement yesterday, the Prime Minister has rather quickly summed it up for you.
“Yesterday the Chancellor announced inflation was down, interest rates down, borrowing down, debt down, investment and living standards and growth up.”
Starmer ends by thanking the Shadow Chancellor for his "stand-up comedy", otherwise known as his response to the aforementioned spring statement.

12:12 Badenoch isn’t happy
“He needs to focus on the question he is being asked, not the statement that was prepared in the bunker,” said Badenoch.
She finished by asking the Prime Minister just when the government’s defence strategy will be published, as we're still yet to see it.

12:10 1,000 Brits already home
Yesterday more than 1,000 British nationals arrived back in the UK on commercial flights from the UAE, according to the Prime Minister.
A further eight flights are due to leave the UAE for the UK today. The first chartered flight is due to leave Oman tonight, with two more in the coming days.

How has defence spending changed?

Is Starmer correct? Did the last government cut spending on defence?

Real-terms defence spending fell by 22 per cent between 2009 and 2017, under the governments of David Cameron and then Theresa May. Specifically, from around £59.2 billion in 2009 to £46.2 billion in 2017 (prices have been adjusted to 2024/25 levels). It began to significantly rise during the Johnson, Truss and Sunak cabinets, according to data from the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury.

12:09 Starmer ranks Labour defence spending against the Tories
“Why is he leaving the job of funding our armed forces to the next government?” said Badenoch, after the OBR said yesterday the Government won’t hit 3 per cent on defence spending for five years.
Starmer hit back on Conservative statistics on defence spending. 
“Not only did they cut the defence budget, they missed army recruitment targets every year for 14 years. They left morale in our Armed Forces at an all-time low and our forces hollowed out, the words of Ben Wallace the former Defence Secretary.
“Labour by contrast are delivering the biggest boost to defence spending since the Cold War, £270 billion over this Parliament.”
Whoever is in the Parliament TV gallery today is hot on the shot, as we go to a grinning John Healey, the current defence secretary.

12:07 Jeering gets too much for the Speaker
Fingers are being pointed across the Commons at Mrs Badenoch after she said the Chancellor “could have given more money to defence”.
“They’re priorities are all wrong, Mr Speaker,” she said.
The Speaker momentarily stopped proceedings to scold a Labour MP for inappropriate language. Sir Hoyle threatened the MP to learn something or “learn the way out” after he apparently mouthed something, even after the Speaker had already told him off.

12:07 Badenoch: “It’s not enough”
Badenoch said the Prime Minister “should be doing more”.
She noted that HMS Dragon is still currently in Portsmouth, where it is being repaired, and that F-35 fighter jets don’t have the capability to take out incoming missiles.

What is HMS Dragon?

According to the Ministry of Defence, the current HMS Dragon is the fourth Type 45 'D' Class or Air Defence Destroyers. Launched in 2008, it's main responsibilities include; long-range air target searching, multiple target tracking, long-distance target engagement, helicopter maintenance, assisting with helicopter take-off and landing, and operating weapons. The ship is preparing to set sail for Cyprus from Portsmouth in the coming days.

12:06 Starmer lists preparations for Iranian attacks
The Prime Minister said that the UK has “been liaising closely with the United States,” and that “radar systems were pre-deployed, ground-based air defence was pre-deployed, counter drone systems were redeployed, and F-35 jets were redeployed.”
He said this was how jets were able to militarise so quickly, and that further helicopters will be in Cyprus later this week, along with HMS Dragon.

12:05 “That wasn’t the question I asked him”
An unhappy Kemi Badenoch returned angered at the fact Starmer didn’t answer her question correctly. 
Badenoch, with outspoken support from her MPs, addressing the House Speaker, said “our bases have in fact been attacked”.
“Iran is trying to kill our service men and women. He is catching arrows rather than stopping the archer."
She addressed the government by saying “we are in this war whether we like it or not,” before prompting the Prime Minister back to the dispatch box.

The latest on the Iran conflict

• US president Donald Trump has attempted to justify his attacks on Iran by saying he believed that "these lunatics" were "going to attack first"
• Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney have called for an end to the hostilities in the Middle East, with Carney calling it a "failure of the international order"
• Iranian media reported yesterday that Mojtaba Khamenei, the former Ayatollahs son, could be elected as the next Supreme Leader of Iran
• Yesterday, the US embassy in Riyadh was struck by two Iranian drones

12:04 Starmer says the UK needs to act “with a cool head”
Starmer briefly touched upon issues relating to energy price increases and British holidaymakers currently trapped in tourist hotspots in the Middle East, mostly in Dubai. 
The Prime Minister said the government needs to “act with clarity, with purpose and with a cool head,” and that the protection of UK nationals is “our number one priority”.
Starmer talked about current British involvement, which includes aiding in the interception of missiles and allowing other allied forces to use British bases.
In response to the US president's strikes on Iran, Starmer said he was not prepared to join a war that lacked a “lawful basis and a viable thought through plan”.

12:03 “Why will the Prime Minister not allow the RAF to do the same?”
Badenoch opened by paying tribute to British armed force troops currently in the Middle East. She asks the Prime Minister why he isn’t allowing RAF involvement in the US-Israel war on Iran. 

12:03 Badenoch to the dispatch box
Starmer’s warm up is over, and it’s now time for questions from the opposition. We're expecting Kemi Badenoch, the Leader of the Opposition, to question the Prime Minister on Britain's involvement in the US-Israel war on Iran.

What are the apprenticeship statistics?

At the beginning of the Cameron-Clegg coalition, apprenticeships were on the increase compared to the last Labour government, according to the Department of Education. The number of people partaking in an apprenticeship dramatically fell in 2017/18 and has fluctuated around similar numbers ever since.

12:03 Easing into question time this week
Josh Fenton-Glynn (Lab, Calder Valley) asked the Prime Minister for support on the new growth and skills levy, which is hoping to increase manufacturing jobs.
The Prime Minister has said that the new levy is ensuring that the country has the “skills we need [to] support more short courses and critical sectors including engineering.”
He continued by saying the government was investing “over £700 million to support thousands more young people into apprenticeships.”

12:01 Starmer calls situation in Middle East “serious and volatile”
The Prime Minister said: “The situation in the Middle East remains serious and volatile. This Government will be resolute in our focus protecting British lives, bringing our people home and safeguarding our national interests.”
He also said his thoughts are with the “family and friends” of Sarah Everard, on the fifth anniversary of her murder.

12:00 Prime Ministers Questions is about to begin
A reminder there from Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House, to MPs about using moderate language and respectful debate before we get into today's questions.

What can we expect today?

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to receive extensive questioning on British involvement in the ongoing Iran conflict, which may steady away questions surrounding the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador and Labour's disastrous outcome in last weeks Gorton and Denton by-election.