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Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said the UK “ideally . . . should not be having any boots on the ground” in Ukraine, in a sign the domestic political consensus on Britain’s involvement in Sir Keir Starmer’s “coalition of the willing” is fraying.
The opposition party leader called for the House of Commons to be granted a vote on deploying British personnel in Ukraine and warned she would not grant the prime minister a “blank cheque” for UK military participation.
After initially saying he was willing to deploy British forces to Ukraine, Starmer on Thursday indicated he was turning towards air and sea support to defend the country after any peace deal, a shift from his previous focus on European “boots on the ground”.
His comments came after he and UK defence secretary John Healey hosted military planners from the 31-country coalition that is backing Kyiv at the British armed forces headquarters in Northwood, Hertfordshire.
Starmer said the meeting was designed to pivot from “political concept to military plans” so that the coalition could “react straightaway” to defend any peace deal that Ukraine secures with Russia.
Outlining her key questions for the UK government, Badenoch said on Thursday that parliament needed to know whether the US would be providing security support; how many British personnel would be deployed; and what would happen if those UK troops were attacked by Russia.
Would Britain then be “in direct conflict” with Moscow, she asked, telling GB News: “I think that a vote would be very helpful to know exactly what it is we’re voting for.”
The Conservative leader stressed her caution against rushing into armed intervention. “These are lives of young British men and women. We need to look after them. We can’t just send them all around the world just because we want to tell a story or make an announcement,” she said.
The UK prime minister technically possesses the executive power to commit personnel to military action without seeking the approval of parliament.
In January last year, Rishi Sunak, then-prime minister, authorised air strikes on Houthi rebels without consulting MPs, with ministers arguing afterwards that the action was “limited, necessary and proportionate in self-defence”.
However, senior government figures believe it is likely Starmer would seek political cover for deploying personnel in Ukraine by consulting MPs in advance.
