Starmer permits US use of UK bases after drone crash at RAF Akrotiri

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom had accepted a US request to use British military bases for a "specific and limited defensive purpose" after an Iran-made Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, causing only limited damage and no casualties. The Cypriot president timed the impact at 12:03 AM local time and authorities ordered safety measures and temporary dispersals at the base.

Starmer, in a video message posted on Sunday evening, said: "The US has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose. We have taken the decision to accept this request to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk and hitting countries that have not been involved." Government spokespeople and defence ministers stressed the UK would not be joining offensive operations, with officials saying permission was constrained to defensive strikes on missile launchers in the Gulf.

The Sovereign Base Areas Administration and the Ministry of Defence issued urgent instructions to personnel shortly before midnight local time. Staff were told to return home, stay inside until further notice, move away from windows and take cover behind substantial furniture. The administration said it planned a temporary dispersal of non-essential personnel from RAF Akrotiri Station and that family members would be moved to alternative accommodation as a precaution. Sirens were reported in the area around the base.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said "information received through various channels indicates that it involved an unmanned drone, which caused limited damage," and that "all the competent services of the republic are on alert and in full operational readiness." He emphasised that Cyprus "does not participate in any way and does not intend to be part of any military operation."

British defence officials reported interceptions in the wider episode. Defence Secretary John Healey said Britain had intercepted two missiles fired in the direction of Cyprus, and a Cypriot government spokesman said two drones heading for RAF Akrotiri were intercepted. MoD statements and local authorities confirmed no casualties and only minimal infrastructure damage at the air base.

The incident comes after weekend strikes by US and Israeli forces that the UK said were intended to degrade Iranian missile capabilities. The government has placed legal limits on the permission it granted, saying bases cannot be used for political or economic targets in Iran and framing the move as narrowly defensive. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper described the decision as "about defensive action around the Gulf."

The shift in policy has provoked an immediate political backlash at home and criticism from abroad. Green Party leader Zack Polanski said, "It took just one phone call from Donald Trump for Starmer to jump into yet another Middle East illegal war, failing to learn the lessons of the tragedies of Iraq, Libya and Syria." Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called the decision evidence of weak leadership, saying, "Better late than never. We have a follower, not a leader." Former US President Donald Trump told the Daily Telegraph he was "very disappointed in Keir" and had earlier criticised Starmer's initial reluctance over the use of Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford, saying Starmer "took far too long" to change his mind.

Markets reacted to the widening regional tensions. The BBC reported that oil prices rose and shares fell as investors weighed the risk of broader escalation. Government officials said they would publish fuller operational and legal details in coming days, while No.10 and the MoD face imminent questions about the exact scope of permission granted and whether any US strikes have yet been launched from UK territory.