The British public opposes allowing the US to use British airbases for strikes on Iranian missile sites, a new poll has revealed.
YouGov polling released on Monday shows the British public opposes US military action against Iran by 49 percent to 28 percent.
Exactly half of the public also opposes the government allowing the US to use British airbases, with only 30 percent supporting the move.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Sunday night that the US would be allowed to use British bases for the purpose of targeting Iranian missile sites - after having refused to be involved in the US-Israeli strikes when they started on Saturday morning.
Britain initially blocked the US from using the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands to strike Iran, a decision reportedly taken following legal advice from Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer.
Only 11 percent of the public "strongly support" the US-Israeli attack on Iran. This rises to 17 percent among Conservative voters and 36 percent among Reform voters.
But only five percent of Labour voters strongly support the attack and 13 percent "somewhat support" it.
Amongst Green voters, 11 percent support the strikes and 70 percent oppose them.
Political opposition to British policy
Reform leader Nigel Farage and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch have condemned Starmer for not allowing the US to use British bases for whatever military action against Iran it chooses - rather than just to attack missile sites.
Badenoch also claimed on Monday that Labour's policy is because of Muslim voters in the wake of Labour's defeat by the Greens in the Gorton and Denton by-election last week.
She said that "particularly in the wake of the by-election last week, the Labour government are too scared to say what is obvious to the rest of us".
"In towns and cities across Britain there are large blocs of voters - that Labour see as their voters - whose political loyalties are swayed by conflicts in the Middle East, not the British national interest."
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey and Green Party leader Zack Polanski urged Starmer to put the UK's decision to allow the US to use its military bases to a vote in Parliament, which did not happen.
Polanski called on Starmer to reverse his decision to grant the US permission to use British bases, calling America a "rogue state".
On Sunday, Starmer said in an address from Downing Street that the only way to stop the threat from Iranian missiles "is to destroy the missiles at source, in their storage depots or the launchers which are used to fire the missiles:.
"The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose," he said.
"We have taken the decision to accept this request to prevent Iran from firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk and hitting countries that have not been involved."