US rebuffs Blair's proposal to locate missiles in UK

Tony Blair was today facing a major rebuff from the United States over proposals to site key elements of the American so-called “son of Star Wars” missile defence system on British soil.

Downing St confirmed today that the British government was in discussion with Washington about hosting parts of the programme – believed to be the interceptors that would be used to bring down a ballistic missile – in the UK.

However the US deputy chief of mission in London, David Johnson, said that the US administration was primarily looking at the Czech Republic and Poland to locate the system.

“As we go forward there may be opportunities for us to talk to other countries about their needs, but right now we are concentrating on the Czech Republic and on Poland as the primary sites where we would be looking for this,” he told BBC Radio 4’s The World at One.

The rejection of the UK to host the programme is likely to be seen as a massive snub for Mr Blair, after No 10 had earlier made clear that Britain had come forward with the offer.

“It is our intention that whilst the United States are in the decision-making process, the UK should be considered as part of that,” a spokeswoman said.

“The prime minister thinks it is a good idea that we are part of the consideration by the United States.

“We believe that it is an important step towards providing missile defence coverage for Europe of which we are part.”

No 10 would not expand on why Mr Blair wanted the system to be located in Britain, however the offer appears to have been an attempt to further bind the UK to the US before he leaves office.

The spokeswoman would not say whether the prime minister had approached president George Bush directly, but said that discussions, which were still at an early stage, had taken place at “various levels”.

According to one report, the talks were being led by Mr Blair’s chief foreign policy adviser Nigel Sheinwald, while his likely successor, Chancellor Gordon Brown, was also reported to have been involved.

In offering to site the system in the UK, Mr Blair risked stirring up further resentment on the Labour benches, where many MPs remain deeply opposed to his strong alliance with president Bush.

The government faced a political storm in 2003 when it agreed that the Americans could update the early warning radar at RAF Fylingdales as part of the missile defence programme.

The Americans are primarily searching for a European site for the underground silos which would house the interceptor missiles used to "shoot down" a ballistic missile as it hurtles through space on the way to its target.

The aim is to provide protection from a missile launched from a “rogue state” in the Middle East against the US, its allies, or its forces overseas.

The US already has interceptor silos in Alaska and California to defend against an attack by North Korea.

The UK could still provide an alternative if the Czechs and the Poles get cold feet in the face of opposition from Russia, which has reacted furiously to the prospect of silos in its former Soviet satellite states.

For the Conservatives, shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said they saw benefits in the UK hosting the system, but urged the Government to explain its proposals.

“If the Government really do want to maintain what they regard as a bipartisan approach to defence in this country, they had better start getting honest with the Opposition,” he said.

“We would want to be involved in discussions about the abilities of the technology, the potential benefits and to look at the potential risks coming from increased defence programmes in countries like Iran and Russia.”

Paul Ingram, senior analyst at the British American Security Information Council (Basic) defence policy think tank, said the proposal to site the interceptors in Britain was “grossly premature”.

“The technology is wholly unproven. It is like using a bullet to hit a bullet. The challenge is so difficult that this is just building sandcastles in the sky,” he said.

He warned that it would make Britain a potential target for a missile attack, as well as risking fuelling a new arms race with Russia and China.

If there is any suggestion in future that this is aimed at Russia, they are going to want to swamp these defences with more missiles so it does drive a missile race,“ he said.

“It makes Britain more vulnerable. If there is a country which seeks to attack the US with ballistic missiles, this is the first line of defence so we would be attacked first.”

Mr Ingram said that if the UK was chosen, the silos would probably be sited at a US base such as Lakenheath or Mildenhall in Suffolk.