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UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has described the leak of information from a highly confidential national security meeting about the US-Israel attacks on Iran as an “absolute travesty” and has called for a full investigation.
Reports emerged last weekend claiming there were disagreements within the cabinet during a National Security Council meeting regarding whether the United States should be allowed to use British military bases for strikes against Iran. These meetings are protected under the Official Secrets Act.
According to reports, Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggested permitting the US to use UK bases for defensive strikes against Iranian targets during the meeting last Friday. However, the proposal reportedly faced opposition from several senior ministers including Ed Miliband, Rachel Reeves, Yvette Cooper and Shabana Mahmood. The claims were first reported by The Spectator and later circulated by multiple media outlets.
Eventually, permission was granted on Sunday for the US to use the bases to target Iranian missile sites after Tehran launched retaliatory attacks across the Middle East.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Lammy stressed that leaks from National Security Council discussions are extremely serious. He said it is essential that ministers can freely share their views with advice from the chief of defence staff, intelligence agencies and other officials without risking national security. He refused to discuss the specific conversations that took place during the meeting.
Justice Secretary Mahmood also insisted that the cabinet remains united. She said ministers support maintaining a calm and measured approach, stressing that while the UK will not take part in offensive operations, it will defend its allies and protect people in the region.
Leaks from the National Security Council are considered a major breach of trust. In 2019, former Prime Minister Theresa May dismissed then Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson after he was accused of leaking information from such a meeting.
Lammy repeated on Sky News that the leak was unacceptable and said it should be thoroughly investigated, warning that disclosing details from such meetings could put British lives at risk.
At a press conference on Thursday, Starmer avoided directly responding to the Spectator report. Instead, he explained the timeline of discussions with the United States. According to him, no formal request from the US had been made by Friday, meaning no decision was required at that time.
He said the official request arrived on Saturday afternoon. The government then reviewed the details with US officials over the following day before reaching a final decision on Sunday evening, which he later announced publicly.
