AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), in a joint statement, announced that the Burnham government must cease its support for Donald Trump's aggression against Iran and fundamentally review London's diplomatic and economic priorities.
Warning about the fragility of the ceasefire agreement, the two organizations emphasized that the unpredictable behavior of the U.S. President and the crisis in Washington's foreign policy have doubled the necessity for the UK government to distance itself from the White House's warmongering policies.
CND General Secretary Sophie Bolt stated in this regard that the UK government cannot portray U.S. use of its bases as a "defensive" action, while civilian infrastructure including bridges, energy networks, and public facilities in Iran have been targeted.
She called on the UK Prime Minister, instead of continuing the previous government's policy, to focus on diplomatic efforts for the full implementation of the understanding reached and to prevent the resumption of hostilities.
Shabir Lakha, a senior official of the Stop the War Coalition, also criticized the new government's economic and military approach, warning that increased arms spending would reduce resources needed for public services, housing, health, and social support.
He described the appointment of John Healey as UK Chancellor of the Exchequer as a sign of the influence of military approaches on Burnham's economic policy, and said social movements must simultaneously oppose the escalation of the war against Iran and resist the transfer of public resources to the arms industry.
Protest Against U.S. Use of Fairford Base
Pressure from anti-war organizations on the Burnham government has not been limited to issuing statements, and members of CND and the local group "Fairford Action" held an emergency rally last week outside the main gate of RAF Fairford in southwest England.
The organizers of the rally, noting that a U.S. B-1 bomber from this base had participated in the recent aggression against Iran, warned that allowing the U.S. military to use British soil directly implicates London in Washington's aggression and endangers the security of the British people.
Sophie Bolt, in the statement related to this rally, said Burnham must immediately halt U.S. use of Fairford and Diego Garcia and not allow Britain to become further entangled in an illegal and destructive war.
She called the UK government's argument about the limited and defensive nature of U.S. operations unjustifiable, and emphasized that actively assisting a country that violates international law cannot be considered a defensive action.
CND also announced that Fairford base, due to its long runways and special infrastructure, is one of the main centers for the deployment of long-range U.S. bombers in Europe, and the UK government must prevent its use for operations against Iran.
Pressure for a Change in the New Government's Military Policy
Criticism from UK anti-war campaigns against Burnham began from the very first days of his arrival at Downing Street. One day after the formation of the new government, CND's General Secretary wrote to the Prime Minister, calling for a policy that prioritizes people over weapons and diplomacy over militarism.
The letter stated that the escalation of the war against Iran, in addition to increasing global instability, would also add to the economic pressures on British families.
CND has called on Burnham to prevent Britain from being drawn into another war and to allocate financial resources to health, education, housing, and tackling the cost-of-living crisis, instead of nuclear weapons and new fighter jets.
In another joint statement about the composition of Burnham's cabinet, the Stop the War Coalition and CND warned that the selection of figures who support increased defense spending has placed arms companies and military commanders at the center of the new government's economic policy.
The Peace Pledge Union, another long-standing UK anti-war organization, has taken a similar stance, calling on Chancellor John Healey and Defense Secretary Wes Streeting to halt the increase in the military budget and allocate public resources to housing, healthcare, and schools.
The organization has emphasized that sustainable security is achieved through diplomacy, conflict prevention, and addressing the root causes of poverty and instability, rather than through expanding arsenals and increasing profits for arms companies
The UK government had previously claimed that permission for U.S. use of its bases was only granted for specific and limited defensive operations targeting missile centers. Former Prime Minister Keir Starmer claimed that London had not joined the offensive attacks against Iran and was merely defending allies and British interests in the region.
However, anti-war organizations have rejected this distinction between offensive and defensive operations, saying that granting UK bases to the U.S. military has in practice contributed to the continuation of attacks against Iran.
Burnham has also not yet shown any sign of reversing the previous government's decision regarding U.S. use of these bases since taking office. In his first phone call with Trump, he emphasized his government's commitment to defense and security cooperation with Washington and discussed developments in West Asia and the Strait of Hormuz.
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