ANDY Burnham has been urged to block the US military from using Prestwick Airport and other UK bases as a launchpad for strikes on Iran.
The Scottish Greens have made the call after the new Prime Minister reportedly backed the continued use of Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford airbases for direct strikes on Iran.
Previous investigations by The National revealed that it there is almost "concrete proof" that Scottish airbases, including Prestwick, have been used as part of a key transport and supply route in the war.
The Sunday National’s analysis of flight tracking data shows US military aircraft departed Glasgow Prestwick Airport at least 32 times in the ten days before February 28, when the United States and Israel launched major strikes on Iran, killing its then supreme leader, Ali Hosseini Khamenei.
In total, 21 of the flights were going to a series of key US and NATO military hubs used to support operations across the Middle East.
The revelations placed pressure on John Swinney and the Scottish Government to ban the use of Scotland's airports for US forces, but a row has since broken out over who has the legislative power to do so.
The Scottish Government argues that defence is a reserved matter, and that an outright ban could be in contravention of the Scotland Act 1998. The UK Government claims it is not responsible for the decision to allow the US military to land at a civilian airport.
Earlier this year, First Minister John Swinney requested a meeting with UK ministers over the issue.
He later said the Scottish Government is not legally able to block US planes from using Prestwick Airport in its war against Iran because the necessary powers are reserved to Westminster.
The SNP leader said he had looked "very closely" at the issue, as people in Scotland have "enormous concern and unease" around the conflict – referencing the war's consequences for energy prices, the cost of living, mortgages, as well as the environmental impact.
But he continued: "If I was to prevent flights from entering Scotland by the appropriate steps that would be necessary, I would need to exercise national security, aviation, air transport, defence and foreign affairs powers.”
The Ministry of Defence (MoD), meanwhile, has repeatedly said the airport was not being used to launch military strikes.
The Scottish Greens are now pushing for the new Prime Minister to change Westminster's stance on the issue, saying Burnham needs to "draw a line".
Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay MSP said: “The US has renewed its air strikes on Iran, continuing a disastrous and dangerous war. At a time when the risks of further escalation are so clear, the new Prime Minister must draw a line.
“Andy Burnham needs to move on from the failed approach of Keir Starmer, who bent over backwards for Donald Trump and allowed Prestwick and UK airbases to be used in support of his reckless and illegal assaults in the Middle East.
“Our airports should not be used as staging posts for US wars that make us all less safe and risk dragging us into a wider conflict.
“Donald Trump is a dangerous warmonger who has shown contempt for international law and human rights. Keir Starmer chose to embrace him and support his actions. Andy Burnham faces a choice, will he stand up to Donald Trump or will he make the same mistakes again.”
Mackay added: “Wes Streeting’s appointment as Defence Secretary only reinforces that this is politics as usual. After flirting with the Labour leadership and then clearing Burnham's path to Number 10, Streeting has been rewarded with one of the biggest jobs in government.
“His continued support for nuclear weapons shows the same contempt for Scotland. We do not want these weapons of mass killing on the Clyde and nor does our parliament.
“They put a target on our back and are designed to kill indiscriminately. If they were ever used again, it would inflict destruction on an even more terrifying scale than Hiroshima."
