Another day, another U-turn from Keir Starmer. Or to be precise, two new U-turns from the Labour leader before midday. Appearing on BBC1’s Laura Kuenssberg show this morning, Starmer tried to make clear his support for the UK military strikes on the Houthis after Sunak sanctioned action on Thursday. However, the part of the interview that has grabbed the most attention relates to two pledges he made during his campaign to be Labour leader.
Asked about his plans for a Prevention of Military Intervention Act which would mean military action could only be taken if ‘you got the consent of the Commons’, Starmer decided to water down his pledge. He said that this while he stood by the idea ‘in principle’, it might not become law under a Labour government after all. He also said that the pledge only applied to sustained military action rather than a standalone operation, so no vote would have been needed for this week’s strikes.
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