On Sunday, Sir Keir Starmer denied flipping his position in regards to the UK government giving MP’s a vote on military action plans. Sir Keir recently supported the US-UK air strikes in Yemen, which were conducted without a parliamentary vote. He stated that a vote is only necessary when troops are deployed. During his leadership campaign, Sir Keir pledged to create a law requiring the consent of the Commons before taking military action. However, he insisted that there was no inconsistency in his previous statements and his support for the air strikes on Houthi targets. He does expect the government to produce a detailed Commons statement on Monday, as previously planned.
On Laura Kuenssberg, Sir Keir remarked that a response needed to be taken against Houthi targets, as “sitting back and doing nothing” would not be appropriate. Downing Street briefed him before the operation on Thursday, and he supported the air strikes. The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, are a political and military group controlling much of Yemen. Members of the group claim to attack any ship travelling to or owned by Israel and have launched several drones and missiles towards Israel. The United States has reported at least 27 attacks from the group since 19 November. The group’s attacks on cargo ships have led significant shipping companies to divert vessels away from the Red Sea, taking a longer route around southern Africa.
Sir Keir said Labour would need to consider the arguments if the UK is planning further attacks in Yemen and stated he would expect to be briefed by the government. Reports that five people died in an attempt to cross the English Channel were “a tragic loss of life,” he said. He went on to say English Channel crossings must be halted and emphasised the necessity to go after the crime syndicates responsible for the trade. Lastly, Sir Keir discussed Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan and affirmed his support for investing £28bn in green projects “by the second half of the Parliament” if they were elected. However, the investment depends on several caveats, including reducing government debt within five years
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