Iran and the Middle East

Lord Callanan Excerpts

Monday 9th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

That is absolutely not the language that we are using. The actions that we are taking are defensive, as I have explained, and it is vital that we all take extreme care with the language we use around this conflict, not least because it can, and often does, find itself repeated and played out on the streets of the United Kingdom.

[Lord Callanan (Con)]

My Lords, can I probe the noble Baroness a little further on her answer to my noble friend Lord Harper? Initially, the UK denied the use of our bases for offensive strikes on Iran and then, 48 hours later, the Government permitted the use of the bases for defensive strikes. Can she explain the difference between striking Iran offensively and defensively please?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

There are vast books written about international law that the noble Lord may wish to consult. But, clearly, after Iran strikes civilian sites—hotels in Dubai where British nationals are staying, with their lives put at risk—then what we are doing to support the United States is clearly a defensive action.