Ed Davey: PM must withdraw US access to UK bases to avoid being complicit in Trump's war crimes

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has today called on Keir Starmer to withdraw US access to UK air bases to prevent Britain becoming an “accomplice to war crimes.”

It comes following President Trump and US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth’s threats to carry out mass bombing of civilian infrastructure in Iran, with Trump stating that “a whole civilisation will die tonight,” if Iran and the US fail to reach an agreement before the deadline.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Calum Miller, and 56 fellow Liberal Democrat MPs have called on Keir Starmer to urgently withdraw the access granted to US planes to use UK bases, and to make a statement on how the UK will continue to work with other allies to ensure protection for our citizens, interests and allies.

In the letter, they add that if the Government refuses to act, they must at the very least formally clarify and publish the conditions placed on the US for use of our bases to ensure it is only defensive, commit to monitoring the outcome of all sorties and report these to Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

"President Trump’s explicit threats to target civilian infrastructure in Iran signal a clear intent to breach international law. This places the UK Government in a perilous position; by continuing to grant the US access to our airbases, the Prime Minister risks making the United Kingdom an accomplice to war crimes.

"The Liberal Democrats are calling for the immediate withdrawal of consent for the US to use British bases. We cannot allow British soil to be used as a platform for illegal military action.

“If the Government refuses to act, they must at the very least publish the strict conditions permitting this access to ensure it is only defensive, commit to monitoring every action and report their findings to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Full text of letter below:

Dear Keir,

We are writing with an urgent appeal that you withdraw or severely limit US access to UK air bases, given the clear and mounting evidence that President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth intend this week to order US forces to launch major attacks on civilian targets in Iran, which would be a clear breach of international law. 

The war in the Middle East was launched by Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump on 28 February. Their actions were unilateral and illegal. Iran’s retaliation was swift and reckless, also illegally targeting countries that had not been party to the initial attack.

Liberal Democrats supported your decisions not to allow UK bases to be used by the US in the initial attacks and to limit UK involvement to that required to defend our citizens, interests and allies in the face of illegal actions against them by Iran. 

We have consistently pressed you and your ministers to clarify the limited grounds on which you subsequently authorised the US to launch attacks from UK bases. We have been told by the Foreign Secretary that it is consistent with long-established agreements and by you that the purpose will only be “defensive”. Despite repeated requests, this has not been clarified and your ministers have refused to confirm if the outcomes of US attacks launched from UK bases are being monitored, or to state whether they are sharing any monitoring data with the Intelligence and Security Committee.

On Easter Sunday (5 April), President Trump issued a post on Truth Social that stated: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”

This followed statements by President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth on 1 April that they would bomb Iran “back to the Stone Age” and a declaration on 26 March by Hegseth that US forces should use “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy”.

I am sure you recognise that these remarks incite breaches of international law. Attacking civilian infrastructure like power plants or bridges contravenes the Fourth Geneva Convention. A failure to instil restraint in the actions of combatants and to aver that there are enemy combatants (or civilians) who “deserve no mercy” also contravenes the First and Third Geneva Conventions.

President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth stand at the pinnacle of the US Chain of Command. We must take their remarks seriously.  They have given us warning that they intend to give instructions that will breach international law.

We therefore call on you, with urgency, to withdraw the access granted to US planes to use UK bases and to make a statement on how we will continue to work with our other allies to ensure protection for our citizens, interests and allies. If you will not do this, we call on you immediately to publish the conditions you have attached to this access to ensure it is only “defensive” and to commit to monitoring the outcomes of all sorties and to report these to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee.

Unless you take these actions, you will place the UK and your Government at grave risk of complicity with illegal actions by the US.

Yours sincerely,

Calum Miller MP
Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson

Edward Davey MP 
Leader of the Liberal Democrats

And the undersigned Liberal Democrat MPs:

Josh Babarinde MP

Alex Brewer MP

Jess Brown-Fuller MP

Charlotte Cane MP

David Chadwick MP

Wendy Chamberlain MP

Dr Danny Chambers MP

Chris Coghlan MP

Victoria Collins MP

Daisy Cooper MP

Steve Darling MP

Bobby Dean MP

Mr Lee Dillon MP

Sarah Dyke MP

Mr Will Forster MP

Zoë Franklin MP

Andrew George MP

Sarah Gibson MP

Rachel Gilmour MP

Marie Goldman MP

Olly Glover MP

Tom Gordon MP

Monica Harding MP

Pippa Heylings MP

Wera Hobhouse MP

Christine Jardine MP

Liz Jarvis MP

Clive Jones MP

Mr Paul Kohler MP

James MacCleary MP

Mr Angus MacDonald MP

Ben Maguire MP

Helen Maguire MP

Mike Martin MP

Brian Mathew MP

Layla Moran MP

Edward Morello MP

Helen Morgan MP

Tom Morrison MP

Tessa Munt MP

Manuela Perteghella MP

Mr Joshua Reynolds MP

Ian Roome MP

Anna Sabine MP

Dr Roz Savage MP

Vikki Slade MP

Ian Sollom MP

Jamie Stone MP

Luke Taylor MP

Cameron Thomas MP

Freddie van Mierlo MP

Caroline Voaden MP

Max Wilkinson MP

Munira Wilson MP

Martin Wrigley MP

Claire Young MP