How the U.K.’s Leader Decides Which U.S. Bombers to Let Fly Against Iran NYT | Top Stories By: Adam Goldman, Eric Schmitt and Michael D. Shear 31 March 2026 at 21:53 As the United States expands its armada of warplanes on British soil, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he is trying to defend Britain’s interests while keeping the country out of war. © Jaimi Joy/ReutersPrime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain at a meeting in London on Monday. “We will not be drawn into the wider war,” he told lawmakers in mid-March.