Monday 23rd March 2026

(1 day, 9 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Healey Portrait John Healey
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Yes to the first question; no to the second.

Sammy Wilson Portrait Sammy Wilson (East Antrim) (DUP)
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The Government may not want to be drawn into a war with Iran, but Iran has declared war on us by attacking our bases, trying to kill our civilians, attacking our economy, and even engaging in acts of terror in our country. We have found this weekend that we rely on the US to protect our bases, and require its defensive capability to do so. Does that not lead the Secretary of State to the conclusion that, rather than begrudgingly providing limited access to our bases, we should be giving full support to the Americans and the Israeli Government in destroying this regime, to stop it fomenting war in the middle east and blackmailing us economically?

John Healey Portrait John Healey
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We have agreed to the requests that the US has put to us. As I have said, one of our major principles is that we are working in close co-ordination with allies on defensive operations, including and especially with the US.