Leak from secret UK meeting about US attacks on Iran a travesty, says Lammy

Justice secretary calls for inquiry into reports of cabinet splits at national security council over use of British bases

David Lammy has said it is an “absolute travesty” that details were leaked from a top secret national security meeting on the US-Israel attacks on Iran and has called for an investigation.

There were reports last weekend of cabinet splits at a national security council meeting, which is protected by the Official Secrets Act, over allowing the US to use British bases for the strikes against Iran.

Keir Starmer suggested allowing the US to use the bases to carry out defensive strikes against Iranian targets at the meeting last Friday but was met with opposition from Ed Miliband, Rachel Reeves, Yvette Cooper and Shabana Mahmood, according to the Spectator, a report that was then picked up by several media outlets.

Permission to allow the bases to be used against Iran’s missile sites was granted on Sunday after Tehran had launched a wave of retaliatory attacks against countries across the Middle East.

Asked on Friday about the unity of the cabinet, Lammy told BBC Breakfast: “It’s an absolute travesty that there would be any kind of leak from an NSC meeting and the reason I think that is that it must be right that ministers are allowed to make their assessment supported by the chief of defence staff our intelligence agencies and others and we do nothing that would put our people at risk.

The justice secretary added: “The cabinet is absolutely united and supportive of a calm, cool head at this time of being clear we will not be involved in the offensive action but we will absolutely defend our allies and people across the region. The cabinet is entirely united behind the prime minister.”

A leak from the national security council is considered a serious breach. In 2019, Theresa May sacked the then defence secretary, Gavin Williamson over a leak.

Lammy repeated his assertion that any leak was a “travesty” on Sky News and went further, calling for an investigation. “I don’t recognise those reports and I have to say I think it is a travesty that any anyone should report from a national security council … because of course it puts British lives at risk and I hope that is properly investigated,” he said.

Asked about Lammy’s comments on Friday, Downing Street said it had a long standing position of not commenting on the national security council.

Separately, however, the prime minister’s spokesperson tried to clear up confusion about other comments by Lammy, who had suggested the UK could take part on strikes on Iranian targets.

Asked if Royal Air Force jets could legally strike Iranian missile sites in anticipation of an attack being launched, Lammy had told BBC Breakfast: “It is my understanding that that would be legal.”

Starmer’s spokesperson said they were not going to “speculate on hypotheticals” but insisted there had been no change in position, referring to legal advice published by the government and comments by the defence secretary that the focus was on “defensive action”.

Asked if that advice meant the UK could strike Iranian targets with the capability to strike British targets, he said: “We have consistently said that we’ll take the necessary steps to prevent future strikes … (that) as we’ve set out over the course of the week, is allowing the US to take out those missiles at source whilst we are defending the skies.”

A drone believed to have been launched by Iran or a proxy in the region this week hit a hangar at RAF Akrotiri, one of two British sovereign territory bases in Cyrpus.

However, the UK government is understood to be adopting “a broad definition of British interests”, which, if hit, could be a tripwire for the launching of strikes on Iran.

The response from Downing Street to journalists came after Liberal Democrats called for clarification on Lammy’s comments.

Calum Miller, the Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman, said: “The deputy prime minister is sliding down the slippery slope to full conflict by backing direct UK strikes on military positions in Iran. We need an urgent clarification from No 10 on whether this is a change in Britain’s position on involvement in Trump’s illegal war.”