UK bases are ‘invaluable’ to US military

Britain’s defence secretary, John Healey, has said that UK bases have been invaluable to the US military. This raises serious concerns, given that the UK’s involvement is supposedly only for ‘defensive purposes’

UK bases used for ‘Defensive actions’

Already, a retired RAF squadron leader has told Declassified that Starmer’s claim he only let the US use British bases for “defensive” actions against Iran is a “fiction”. Of course, that is clear to anyone paying attention.

He added that it was “glaringly obvious” that US missions from RAF Fairford were conducting offensive strikes.

Of course, there is nothing ‘limited’ or ‘defensive’ about using UK bases to bomb innocent people.

The UK is literally facilitating war crimes.

Now, speaking at a conference in London, Healey said:

Even in this current conflict, the basing permissions that we in the UK have agreed with the US have been invaluable to their military operations.

If we focus on our actions rather than just simply the exchange of words and social media posts, then the fundamentals for me remain.

Being ‘invaluable’ definitely doesn’t sound very ‘limited’ or ‘defensive’ to me. It appears that, despite Starmer’s bullshit facade, the US and Israel are using UK bases to commit multiple genocides.

The UK government does not appear to care about the US using UK facilities to carpet-bomb innocent people. Additionally, Starmer is still unwilling to stand up to Trump. 

All of this speaks to the continued colonial mindset of the UK government.

Colonialism in action

Earlier this week, the Guardian reported that:

Before the ceasefire announced by Trump late on Tuesday, which Starmer said countries in the region believed was “fragile”, the UK led a call of military planners from 35 nations on ways to secure the strait if there was peace, including the removal of Iranian mines.

The question has to be asked as to why the white Prime Minister of a Western Nation is leading a call which may help decide the fate of Iran — a majority brown country in West Asia? There’s a word for that.

Why is the future of the region in the hands of a white Zionist and not the people who actually live there?

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS):

Every State has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baselines determined in accordance with this Convention.

The Strait of Hormuz is 21 miles wide at its narrowest point — meaning that Iran and Oman have sovereignty over every mile of that water. Unlike the majority of the West would have you believe, it is not international waters.

Which is why it’s even more fucked up that the UK is trying to exercise so much control over the sovereign territory of a majority brown country. Meanwhile, Starmer continues to claim the UK’s actions are purely ‘defensive’ as if he doesn’t appear to want a direct stake in the control of the Strait of Hormuz.

The most important thing John Healey missed was that UK bases have been invaluable in an act of illegal aggression. Meaning, the UK is just as bad as the US and Israel. Starmer and the British Establishment are actively participating in genocide, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing.

There are not many problems that cannot be traced back to the British Empire — but you might have thought that in 2026, under a Labour Government, there might be a red line or two. Looks more like two blue lines from where we’re looking.

Feature image via AFP News Agency/ YouTube