Watch the moment a Labour minister was halted live on-air by GB News presenter Camilla Tominey after the host set the record straight on the UK’s defence in the Middle East.
On Friday, Iran launched two ballistic missiles towards the Chagos IIslands – justhours after Sir Keir Starmer gave the US permission to use the UK-US base to target Tehran’s missile sites.
One of the missiles is said to have failed mid-flight, while an American destroyer fired an SM-3 interceptor at the other.
While neither of the missiles hit the base, the launch is the longest-range attack by Iran since the start of “Operation Epic Fury”.
However, Labour was criticised for failing to inform the British public about the unprecedented attack, with the news being revealed by US media.
When grilled on No10’s silence, Steve Reed, the Communities Secretary, told Camilla it would be “very odd for a Government to provide running commentary” on the actions of a hostile state.
“That lets them know what we know,” he claimed.
“The right thing to do is to take appropriate defensive action, which is what we are doing. Of the two missiles that the assessments say were being targeted at Diego Garcia, one failed and fell short. The other was intercepted and stopped.”
Camilla Tominey stopped Steve Reed in his tracks
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GB NEWS
Asserting who ought to be credited for the interception, Camilla pointedly added: “Yes, it was lucky that it was intercepted and stopped by the US.”
But Mr Reed insisted it “wasn’t lucky” as the actions came as part of a collective defence between the US and the UK.
He continued: “We’re part of a collective alliance, and we are seeking to protect each other.
“We have been taking out drones that were targeting allies, and you would expect our allies to work with us to take out attacks on us, too. That’s the nature of the alliance.”
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But Camilla refused to let up, stopping Mr Reed in his tracks by saying: “This will only work if you let me finish my question before you answer it.
“So Kemi Badenoch has suggested that there may have been a cover up, and the Prime Minister may have been reluctant to share these two attempted strikes on Diego Garcia because it exposes the folly of him not immediately allowing the US use of those bases, when the strikes first started to rain down at the beginning of this war.”
However, Mr Reed just brushed off the Tory leader’s comments, saying she “talks a lot of rubbish about this war” and the Labour minister continued to have “no idea” about her position.
He said: “It’s unclear whether she does or doesn’t support the war, so thank goodness we’ve got, as Prime Minister, somebody who was taking a very, very clear position that we’re not being involved in the war.
“We’re not going to be dragged into the war. But we will take part in collective defence with our allies now, as Iran has targeted, as has selected different targets to attack, then we have to respond.
“And that is why the decision was taken to allow the US to use British bases, because of what is going on with the attacks on ships and the attempt to block the Straits of Hormuz.”
Hours before the launches on Friday night, Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, took aim at Sir Keir Starmer and accused the PM of putting British lives at risk by allowing the US to British bases to launch attacks in the Middle East.
Sir Keir only allowed the bases to be used to hit missile sites which could imperil ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Mr Araghchi went on to say the “vast majority” of Britons did not want any UK involvement in the war.
“Ignoring his own people, Mr Starmer is putting British lives in danger by allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iran,” he raged. “Iran will exercise its right to self-defence.”