'Sitting on the fence!' Chris Philp takes aim at 'weak' Keir Starmer as Middle East conflict escalates: 'Out of the loop'

He also accused the Government of "sitting on the fence in an effort to try and offend nobody, which is pretty weak and not what you expect from a national leader".

The Shadow Home Secretary described the Prime Minister's approach as showing "a complete lack of leadership" and revealing him to be "a weak leader".

Philp expressed support for Donald Trump's approach to Iran's nuclear programme, stating: "I think Donald Trump made an entirely understandable decision to seek to eliminate Iran's nuclear weapons capability after he had previously, I think, and privately, given them an ultimatum, which then expired."

The Shadow Home Secretary welcomed the absence of casualties from Iran's response, saying: "I think it is merciful that no casualties have resulted in Iran's retaliation."

He backed Arab nations' condemnation of Tehran's actions and drew a sharp distinction between the nature of the strikes.

"I don't think Iran has any justification for retaliatory action, particularly given that America's strikes were targeted at nuclear and other military installations and military personnel, which of course, contrasts Iran's response into Israel, where they've been hitting civilian sites, which is completely reprehensible," Philp said.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• Trump tears into Iran's 'weak' missile rain as he jabs: 'They've gotten it all out of their system!'
• Inside America's biggest base in the Middle East where hundreds of RAF personnel were stationed
• Iran attacks US military base in Qatar as Middle East on brink of all-out war

Philp argued that the Government's inability to articulate a clear stance demonstrates broader weaknesses in Starmer's leadership.

"I think it is embarrassing that Keir Starmer has been unable to take a clear position on this important issue," he said.

The Shadow Home Secretary drew parallels with domestic policy failures, stating: "We see this a lot domestically, for example, over his complete inability to sort out illegal immigration across the channel.

"We see him being weak there, and now we see him being again, weak on the international stage, because he essentially can't make his mind up and he can't get off the fence."

He added: "He's just sitting on the fence to avoid actually saying anything decisive, one way or the other. And that is not how you expect strong leaders to behave."

Philp condemned the Iranian regime's treatment of its own citizens and its international activities.

"There's no question that the Iranian regime is a brutal one which has been repressing its own people for a very long time now," he said, citing the case of a young woman "who chose to just walk down the street without wearing a headscarf, which, of course, is her right to do, and she was carted off by the religious police and murdered in custody."

The Shadow Home Secretary highlighted Iran's sponsorship of attacks on British soil, noting that "Iranian journalists, who have been criticising the Iranian regime, have been targeted by criminals at the behest of the Iranian regime to try and murder them".

He concluded: "Ultimately, I believe in democracy. I think the Iranian people should have their say and it would seem that the Iranian people are pretty fed up with the brutal regime that's been oppressing them now for nearly 50 years."