Poll Shows Starmer Faces Strong Backlash for Helping Trump in Iran War
A YouGov poll shows 49% of Britons oppose US military action against Iran and 50% oppose allowing US use of UK bases, after Prime Minister Keir Starmer approved limited defensive access.
A majority of Britons oppose both U.S. military action against Iran and the use of British bases to support it, according to new YouGov polling, complicating UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to grant Washington limited access for defensive strikes.
YouGov polling released Monday shows 49% of the British public oppose U.S. military action against Iran, compared with 28% who support it.
Exactly 50% oppose allowing the U.S. to use British airbases, while 30% back the move.
Only 11% of respondents “strongly support” the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran. That rises to 17% among Conservative voters and 36% among Reform voters.
Among Labour voters, 5% strongly support the strikes and 13% somewhat support them. Support among Green voters stands at 11%, while 70% oppose the action.
The figures come after Starmer announced Sunday night that the U.S. would be permitted to use British bases to target Iranian missile sites. Britain had initially blocked use of the joint UK-U.S. base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands following legal advice from Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer.
Starmer emphasized that Britain is not joining offensive operations. “The use of British bases is limited to the agreed defensive purposes,” he said. “We are not joining the U.S. and Israeli offensive strikes.”
In a Downing Street address, he said 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.” He added that the United States had requested permission “for that specific and limited defensive purpose.”
He also noted that France and Germany are prepared to enable U.S. action aimed at destroying Iran’s capability to launch missiles and drones from their source.
The decision has drawn criticism from multiple parties. Reform leader Nigel Farage and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch argued that Britain should allow broader U.S. military access, not just strikes on missile infrastructure. Badenoch suggested Labour’s caution reflected domestic electoral pressures.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey and Green Party co-leader Zack Polanski called for a parliamentary vote on the decision, which did not occur. Polanski urged Starmer to reverse course, describing the United States as a “rogue state.”
The debate mirrors broader transatlantic unease. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Sunday found only 27% of Americans approve of U.S. strikes on Iran, with 43% disapproving and 29% unsure, highlighting political risks for President Donald Trump as casualties rise and oil prices climb.
Taken together, the British and American polling suggests public opinion in both countries remains cautious about deepening involvement in a widening Middle East conflict.