Kemi Badenoch has accused the prime minister of being “too scared” to intervene in Iran after being“spooked” by last week’s by-election loss.
Sir Keir Starmer suffered a humiliating by-election defeat in Gorton and Denton to the Green Party last week, sparking concerns among Labour MPs that they could face further crushing losses at the hands of the left.
Speaking at the Conservative Party’s spring conference in Harrogate on Saturday, Mrs Badenoch suggested the result had influenced the prime minister’s response to the unfolding war in the Middle East.
Accusing the government of “sitting on the fence” after being “spooked” by the Greens, she said: “Now Keir Starmer is too scared to make foreign interventions for fear of upsetting a tiny section of that electorate.
“Everyone remembers the mistakes of the Iraq War, nobody sensible is suggesting that we should drop bombs without a second thought.
“But Keir Starmer spent days consulting lawyers, plucking up the courage to say whose side he was on.
“Canada and Australia had the moral clarity to do so immediately and unequivocally, even now our prime minister is sitting on the fence. We are in this war, whether Keir Starmer likes it or not.”
Accusing Labour of “playing student politics” while “the rest of the world rearms”, she said Sir Keir is “not even strong enough to win a contest with his own backbenchers”.
“He is a political hostage,” she said.
“Held at the behest of a load of half-rate left-wing MPs, none of whom grasp the seriousness of the world that Britain is now in.”
The UK has been criticised for failing to have air defence measures in place to sufficiently protect RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, which was hit by a drone.
The prime minister was forced to reject criticism from opponents and allies that Britain had not acted fast enough when fighting began, amid concerns that air defence destroyer HMS Dragon is not expected to sail to the eastern Mediterranean until next week.
On Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer announced that an additional four British Typhoon fighter jets are being deployed to Qatar to strengthen “defensive operations” in the region, but said that he “stands by” his decision not to join the initial strikes on Tehran over the weekend.
Responding to Mrs Badenoch’s words, armed forces minister Al Carns said political point-scoring off the back of a serious security situation was “deeply irresponsible”.
“This situation is above politics and requires calm collective decision-making – not hyperbole and soundbites,” he said.
“British troops are doing an amazing job and no one should be questioning their commitment or competency.
“Serious times require serious politics, not political point-scoring on the back of our Armed Forces, civil service or MoD personnel who are doing an amazing job.”
The Middle East war entered its eighth day on Saturday as an American bomber landed in Britain amid US warnings of a “surge” in strikes on Iran.
The 146ft B-1 Lancer arrived at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Friday evening after Sir Keir Starmer granted permission for “defensive” US action against Iranian missile sites from UK bases.
Armed forces chief Sir Richard Knighton said he would expect the US to launch missions from the Gloucestershire base “within the next few days”.
Meanwhile, a second government charter flight carrying British citizens from Oman landed at Gatwick Airport at 12.30am on Saturday as efforts to help people trapped in the war zone continue.
The Titan Airways flight departed from Muscat International Airport at 5.30pm before a short layover in Cairo, Egypt. The latest arrivals join around 6,500 Britons who have returned from the United Arab Emirates since widespread conflict began in the region.
