Labour’s Alex Norris stammered through his amsers on GMB.
GMB’s Richard Madeley probed Alex Norris about Donald Trump’s Iran plans (Image: ITV)
Labour Minister Alex Norris appeared to try to sidestep a question about Donald Trump‘s threats regarding Iran as Good Morning Britain host Richard Madeley probed him about the UK’s intentions should the US president follow through. Jumping in at the end of their chat, Madeley asked him: “What would be the British government’s position if Donald Trump follows through on his threat to launch a major attack on Iran? Would we support it, or would we simply stand back and watch?”
Norris withheld a direct answer, telling the host: “I’m not going to speculate on hypotheticals about the foreign policy actions of other governments.” He then said: “I can speak to our own concerns around Iran, concerns around civil liberties, the suppression of protest, our concern around Iran must never be a nuclear power. So what we’re doing, we’ve brought in more than 200 sanctions since we took office to disrupt individuals we’re concerned about.”
Probing him further in an attempt to get a straight answer, Madeley once again asked: “Would we support an American strike if America does follow through and do a lot more than it did in Venezuela.
“For example, if it uses its forces which is now amassing in the Gulf and they’re almost there now, if it actually happens, would Britain give it the thumbs up?”
Yet again skirting around the issue, he appeared annoyed as he said: “Richard, you invite me to talk about something that may or may not happen in the future as a result of the decision that may or may not be taken by a different government.
“Of course, I can’t speak to that. I can speak to the action we’re taking, which is significant, and I think reflects the degree of concern that we have with regards to events in Iran.”
Labour MP Alex Norris side stepped questions about Donald Trump while on GMB (Image: ITV)
Madeley’s questions came after Trump warned Iran against developing nuclear weapons telling them “the next attack will be worse.” Posting on Truth Social, he said US ships are heading to the country amid fears he could launch an attack.
In a lengthy post, he claimed a “massive armada” led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was moving rapidly towards Iran, warning it was “ready, willing, and able” to carry out its mission “with speed and violence” if necessary. Trump urged Tehran to return to talks and strike what he called a “fair and equitable deal” to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, warning that time was “truly of the essence”. He also referenced a previous US military operation against Iran, saying any future strike would be “far worse”.
His comments came after Abbas Araghchi said Iran would not return to negotiations while under the threat of military action, signalling little immediate chance of talks resuming.
The exchange has fuelled fears of further escalation, following last year’s US bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities – an operation Trump pointed to when warning of the consequences of failing to reach a deal.
