Mark Francois has obliterated Sir Keir Starmer’s “silence” after the US and Israel launched a series of missiles on Tehran this morning.
The Tory bigwig, who serves as a Shadow Defence Minister, took aim at the Prime Minister, who waited hours before issuing a statement about the “pre-emptive” operation led by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday.
Mr Francois lauded his party leader Kemi Badenoch for exhibiting “no ambiguity” in her message of support for the action.
He told the People’s Channel: “[The Iranian] regime has sponsored international terrorism for decades. They have given, for instance, the Russians and Iranians Shahed drones, which they have been raining down on the people of Ukraine for several years.
“This is a regime that sponsors terrorism, that supports the Russian war effort. And this regime has to go.”
Currently, the House of Commons is set to meet next on Monday.
Mr Francois demanded: “The Prime Minister must come to the House of Commons on Monday and give a statement on behalf of His Majesty’s Government.
“And I hope by that stage he would have decided to back this action against the regime that has sponsored terrorism for decades.”
Smoke can be seen billowing over Tehran today
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But the Tory MP decided to set a deadline for Sir Keir much sooner than Monday.
“But we shouldn’t have to wait till Monday. We should have the Prime Minister on television within the hour saying he backs this,” he said.
“This is not a circumstance in which you can sit on the fence. You’re either for it or against it. And the British people need to know where their Prime Minister stands.”
Asked if the human rights lawyer was “frightened of upsetting” nations, the MP said: “Well, at the end of the day, I can’t speak for him. He needs to speak for himself. He’s the Prime Minister.
‘He’s the Prime Minister, for God’s sake,’ the MP fumed
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“You can’t duck something like this and be the PM. You know, you’re not the chairman of a parish council. He’s the Prime Minister, for God’s sake. So where does he stand?”
However, Sir Keir has lined up with European leaders to condemn Iranian retaliatory strikes on Middle Eastern nations after “pre-emptive” strikes from Israel and the US earlier today.
Tehran launched the rockets in response to “massive and ongoing” American air strikes – in what is forecast to be a multi-day operation named “Epic Fury”.
So far, Iranian military forces have hit a US military base in Bahrain. The Islamic regime has also thrown missiles at US bases across Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE.
In a joint statement with the leaders of France and Germany, the trio said: “Iran must refrain from indiscriminate military strikes.
“We urge the Iranian leadership to seek a negotiated solution. Ultimately, the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future.”
Later this afternoon, Sir Keir released a formal statement confirming British planes were “in the sky as part of co-ordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies”.
This morning, Sir Keir held a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee, before he spoke to fellow world leaders about the strikes engulfing Middle Eastern allies.
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