Starmer vows to avoid ‘mistakes of Iraq’ that have haunted Labour for decades
Tony Blair’s support for the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 has long loomed like a spectre over the Labour party.It was present in 2013 when Ed Miliband as opposition leader voted to block UK military action against the Syrian regime.And it was there again on Monday when Keir Starmer assured MPs that the government remembered the “mistakes of Iraq” and would always operate on a “lawful basis” and with a “viable thought-through plan”to the crisis erupting in the Middle East.The implication from the prime minister was clear: he does not think the initial US and Israeli strikes against Iran were either legal or considered.“This government does not believe in regime change from the skies,” he told the Commons.
It was a significant moment,Starmer has spent much of his premiership carefully dancing around Donald Trump – acting (as he sees it) in the UK’s national interest by maintaining close relations with the US president but taking a lot of flak for it at home,After Trump told the Daily Telegraph on Monday that it had taken the UK “far too long” to allow the US to use its bases to carry out strikes on Iran, the innately cautious prime minister emphasised that the decision was “deliberate” and he stood by it,The UK had initially denied the US permission to conduct strikes aimed at regime change from British bases including Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford, citing international law,But after speaking to Trump at the weekend, Starmer relented on Sunday night.
He now said the US military could use the bases for “specific and limited defensive purposes”,It opened him up to charges of yet another U-turn,But the UK’s position on those initial strikes has not changed,Lord Hermer, the attorney-general, warned that allowing the US to launch attacks for the purpose of regime change – which Trump has himself argued for – would have been a potential breach of international law,It is not the government position that has altered, but the situation on the ground.
Over the past 48 hours Iranian missiles and drones have rained down across the Middle East, putting hundreds of thousands of British citizens in hotels, airports, residences and military bases at risk,Officials argued the only way to stop the threat to Britons in the region was to destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles before they were launched: that attempting to strike them in flight was like trying to knock an “arrow” out of the sky, while the US could go after the “archer”,New legal advice from Hermer concluded that US strikes against missile facilities in Iran – including launch sites and storage silos – would, indeed, constitute self-defence,“I say again, we were not involved in the initial strikes on Iran, and we will not join offensive action now,” Starmer told the Commons on Monday, ahead of making a similar argument to nervous Labour MPs behind closed doors,“But in the face of Iran’s barrage of missiles and drones, we will protect our people in the region and support the collective self-defence of our allies, because that is our duty to the British people.
“It is the best way to eliminate the urgent threat, to prevent the situation spiralling further and support a return to diplomacy.It is the best way to protect British interests and British lives.”The impact of the US-Israeli airstrikes will reverberate across the region for months – if not years – to come.Not least because one of the lessons from the Iraq conflict was that once the “shock and awe” stage is done, there has to be a plan for peace and stability.Starmer does not believe that the US president has one for Iran.
Instead, there is deep uncertainty – and in parts of the British government real dread – about what lies ahead.
Scotland becomes first UK country to legalise water cremations
Scotland has become the first part of the UK to legalise hydrolysis, an environmentally friendly alternative to cremation or burial, reflecting increasing demand for more sustainable funeral arrangements.Also known as water cremation or aquamation, the process is already available in many parts of the world, and regulations approved by the Scottish parliament on Monday mark the most significant change to funeral law since cremation was introduced in 1902.Replicating the natural process of decomposition that occurs after burial, but over a much shorter period of time, hydrolysis uses a strong alkaline solution to break down the body of the deceased person.The body is immersed in water and 5% alkaline, such as potassium hydroxide, for three to four hours in a pressurised metal cylinder and heated to about 150C (300F).This dissolves the body tissue, leaving only bones, which are then dried and pulverised into white dust
UK surgeon cleared of antisemitism criticises GMC’s plan to challenge ruling
A surgeon who was cleared by a tribunal of alleged antisemitism and support for terrorism has accused his regulator of seeking a “politically acceptable” outcome after it announced it would appeal against the decision to the high court.Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah, who gave testimony to the international criminal court on Israel’s assault on Gaza and is the rector of the University of Glasgow, was cleared of misconduct by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) in January.But the decision to appeal by the General Medical Council (GMC), which brought the case after a complaint by the lobby group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), means he is trying to crowdfund £150,000 to defend himself again.“When the MPTS rejected the allegations, I felt that a two-year period of continuous harassment and attempts to undermine my credibility, including my evidence before the ICC [international criminal court] and ICJ [international court of justice], had finally come to an end.” said Abu-Sittah
Labour council accuses minister of ‘moral bankruptcy’ over social care dispute
The housing, communities and local government secretary has been accused by a Labour council of showing “arrogance, indifference and moral bankruptcy” towards children in social care.In an unusually forthright attack, Labour leaders of Hartlepool council said they were “furious and appalled” at Steve Reed after a meeting with him last week. A cross-party delegation had asked the secretary of state for £3m to help alleviate the growing cost of social care.The town in County Durham is one of the most deprived in England. It has the third highest number of children in care per capita in the country
Most senior council officers in England say building work hit by delays
Almost two-thirds of senior council officers have said they are seeing construction projects delayed, despite the key role of local authorities in creating the wave of new housing and infrastructure promised by Labour.Before Rachel Reeves’s spring forecast on Tuesday, a survey of senior council officers showed that 40% do not think the local authority they work for is well placed to follow through on its construction plans.Local authority finances have been under sustained pressure for more than a decade. Labour recently announced a shake-up of the funding formula for England’s local councils, to redirect resources from affluent parts of the country towards more deprived areas.Among those surveyed, 64% reported project delays, with as many as 94% calling for more certainty about future financing – such as multi-year funding settlements
Three in four women unaware menopause can trigger new mental illness, poll finds
Nearly three-quarters of UK women do not know menopause can trigger a new mental illness, polling shows.This lack of understanding is so acute that the Royal College of Psychiatrists has launched its first targeted “position statement” to raise awareness about menopause and mental health.A YouGov poll, commissioned by the college, which represents more than 20,000 psychiatrists, found that only 28% of women know a new mental illness can be associated with menopause. In contrast, 93% of women associate menopause with hot flushes and 76% with reduced sex drive.As a result, many women are not seeking or receiving vital help, the RCPsych’s report says
The decline in healthy life expectancy in Britain should shock us all | Letters
The decline in healthy life expectancy (HLE) is so momentous it should have ejected the former prince from the front page (Female healthy life expectancy falls three years, print edition, 20 February). The shocking fall of three years for women and two years for men, in just three years, reveals the cumulative impact of the Tory/Liberal Democrat austerity programme and the gross mismanagement of the pandemic.In contrast to the lowest HLE since these figures were first estimated (2011-13), Swedish HLE has continued to rise and is an average of five years higher than the UK’s. It is blindingly obvious that unless the government urgently prioritises extending HLE, it cannot hope to stem the flow of older workers out of the labour market.Alan WalkerEmeritus professor of social policy and social gerontology, University of Sheffield Falling healthy life expectancy and a rising pension age – so work until 67 possibly 68, then spend your last years recovering
Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for chard borani soup with yoghurt, crispy garlic and beans | Quick and easy
How to make the perfect bara brith – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect …
Breakfast at Pavyllon, London W1: ‘Does fine dining strictly have to wait until lunchtime?’ - restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants
Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for coffee and walnut cookies | The sweet spot
Bitter-sweet symphony: vermouth is more than just another cocktail ingredient
The bubbling beauty of baked pasta