Plaid Cymru leader warns Starmer over Middle East escalation

Hayley Jones

Rhun ap Iorwerth has accused Keir Starmer of risking deeper UK involvement in the Middle East without proper democratic consent, warning that the escalating crisis will leave many people in Wales “extremely worried”.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Institute for Government in London on Monday, Mr ap Iorwerth said the Prime Minister must not allow Britain to become entangled in military action without the backing of Parliament. His intervention comes as tensions involving Israel, Iran and the United States threaten to spiral into a wider regional conflict.

Over the weekend, Sir Keir faced criticism from Donald Trump after initially refusing to allow US forces to use British bases — including Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire — for the first wave of airstrikes against Iran.

The Prime Minister later granted permission for US forces to use British bases to target Iranian missile launchers and storage sites, after Tehran’s retaliatory attacks were judged to pose a direct threat to British nationals and UK interests in the region.

Around 300,000 Britons are believed to be in countries affected by Iranian strikes, with more than 100,000 having registered with the Foreign Office as contingency planning continues.

In a statement to MPs, Sir Keir said his initial refusal was “deliberate” and rooted in legality, referencing the lessons of Iraq. “Any UK actions must always have a lawful basis and a viable thought-through plan,” he said, adding that the Government does not believe in “regime change from the skies.”

Mr Trump said he was “very disappointed” by the delay and claimed it “took far too much time” for permission to be granted.

Against that backdrop, Mr ap Iorwerth questioned the Prime Minister’s handling of events.

“I believe the UK prime minister should not allow any involvement in action in the Middle East without the support of Parliament. And now he is involved,” he said.

“I think people today will be extremely worried about those actions and that falls again on the British Prime Minister. The entire situation is fraught.”

Referring to renewed US military action, he added: “There is action taking place again by the United States to go for ‘round two’.”

While Sir Keir has argued that allowing the use of British bases was necessary to protect UK citizens — including after a drone strike on RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus — Mr ap Iorwerth signalled that Plaid Cymru will press the issue of parliamentary accountability during the Senedd campaign.

Reform threat

Turning to issues at home, Mr ap Iorwerth warned of  the growing popularity of Reform UK represents what he described as a “real threat” across Wales.

“Plaid is in the lead in all areas of Wales — but Reform are polling better than I’d like them to in every part of Wales,” he said.

Reform has targeted constituencies in north-east Wales, seeking to capitalise on dissatisfaction with both Labour and the Conservatives. Mr ap Iorwerth urged voters not to underestimate what he called “the threat from the populist right in Wales”.

With just weeks until voters head to the polls, his remarks underline Plaid Cymru’s strategy of drawing a sharper contrast with Labour at Westminster while positioning itself as a Wales-focused alternative amid an increasingly fragmented political landscape.