Tory leader asked to apologise for suggesting UK military ‘just hanging around’
Kemi Badenoch said there was a need to reduce the capability of Iran to attack British bases, adding that the UK is currently just “catching arrows”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is facing demands to apologise after she suggested UK military personnel are “just hanging around” and not taking the necessary action in the Middle East.
Listen to this article
Ms Badenoch said there was a need to reduce the capability of Iran to attack British bases, adding that the UK is currently just “catching arrows”.
Defence Secretary John Healey said her comments “insults the men and women of our Armed Forces” and that she should apologise.
Ms Badenoch said there needed to be an effort to stop missiles, adding that that is what air defence destroyer HMS Dragon – not expected to sail to the eastern Mediterranean until next week – would be for.
“They’re not doing enough… What they’re doing is catching arrows," she said.
“It’s not working. We need to actually make sure our bases aren’t being hit.”
Read more: 'Not holding back': Moment US sends another massive Iranian warship up in flames
Pressed on whether she supported firing on Iranian missile bases, she said she did, adding: “What else are our jets doing, just hanging around there?
“They need to be able to see who is attacking us and stop them from firing at British soldiers or even British people in hotels.”
Ms Badenoch described the response as “so slow”.
Commenting on Ms Badenoch’s assessment, Mr Healey said: “I was on the ground in our British base in Cyprus yesterday.
“I saw how our British forces are working round the clock, in the face of repeated air raid sirens, to protect British lives and British interests.
“And to suggest they’re ‘just hanging around’ to score political points insults the men and women of our Armed Forces.
“She should apologise and withdraw her comments.”
Ms Badenoch said Royal Air Force jets striking Iranian missile launch sites would be “the right thing to do”.
She added: “Otherwise, we are allowing our service personnel to be put in danger. We have to think about them.”
Ms Badenoch went on: “If this was a nuclear attack, God forbid, it would be too late.
“You can’t always wait for people to attack you. Sometimes you have to make sure that you get there first to stop their ability to hurt your citizens.”
She said she would like to see a “de-escalation”, but added: “We are in this war whether we like it or not because we have put bases in other people’s countries and we need to protect them.
“And what I’m worried about is that our Government looks afraid to do anything and just wants to sort of make it go away, and we need to be stronger than that.”
Meanwhile on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said RAF jets could legally strike Iranian missile sites being used to attack British interests.
He stressed that F-35 and Typhoon jets were currently only shooting down missiles and drones fired by Iran at allies in the region.
But he said there was a legal basis for them to do more and strike directly at the Iranian bases being used to launch attacks.
The UK has already given the US permission to use British bases to carry out defensive strikes against Iran’s missile facilities.