Labour Minister Rules Out Giving MPs A Vote On UK Military Action In Iran
A cabinet minister has ruled out giving MPs a vote on UK military action in Iran.
Steve Reed said it would be “unprecedented” for the Commons to be given a say on operations “defending British people” in the area.
Opposition parties, and some Labour MPs, have demanded a vote in parliament after Keir Starmer gave the US the green light to use British bases for bombing raids to re-open the Strait of Hormuz.
On the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Reed was asked whether there would be a Commons vote.
He said: “It would be unprecedented to call a vote in parliament on defending British people and British assets. That is why we have security apparatus in place.
“The UK did not take part in the initial offensive action because we didn’t see there was a legal basis for the UK to participate.
“There is no precedent for a vote in parliament for defending British people.”
When it was pointed out to the minister that Keir Starmer had previously said MPs should be given a vote on any UK military action, he replied: “I don’t think at any point the prime minister has believed that there should be a vote on defending British people who are under attack from a hostile state.”
Green Party leader Zack Polanski accused Reed of “gaslighting the nation”.
He told HuffPost UK: “It’s very clearly not defensive action and their semantics this morning will never hide that a Labour government have learnt no lessons about getting involved in illegal Middle East wars that are truly deadly.
“The prime minister promised that military action would be subject to a binding vote in parliament and I’m sure he wouldn’t want to be telling lies to the whole country on such a crucial issue.
Meanwhile, Reed also rejected Israeli claims that Iranian missiles could reach London after Tehran unsuccessfully tried to hit Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
He said: “There is no specific assessment that the Iranians are targeting the UK or even could, if they wanted to.
“We have the finest military in the world. We are perfectly capable of protecting this country.”