Downing Street has insisted RAF Fairford remains safe after the United States pulled all of its bombers from the Gloucestershire airbase, a move linked by US media to fresh threat warnings, reported by BBC News.
The Pentagon confirmed on Sunday that a dozen B-1 bombers had been flown back to America. US reports said a new intelligence alert, tied to an Iran-backed plot, prompted the withdrawal, days after counter-terror police investigated three “suspicious vehicles” near the base on 27 September.
A No 10 spokesperson declined to comment on “foreign nations’ military operations” but said the base was secure, pointing to President Donald Trump’s praise last week for British police and security services. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the UK had “tried and tested approaches” to protect its bases.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stopped short of linking last week’s incident directly to the decision to remove the bombers, saying Washington still had “full confidence” in the security of its bases and praising British cooperation.
RAF Fairford, in the Cotswolds, is at the centre of a counter-terror investigation. Five men were arrested on suspicion of terror offences and released on bail; a sixth, a UK-Iranian national, was detained and bailed. Whitehall sources have not challenged reports that Washington’s move was a response to the Gloucestershire incident, describing it as an operational, military decision.
The New York Times, citing two US officials, said commanders received new details in the past 24 hours about a threat linked to earlier warnings. Ezra Cohen, a former Trump defence official, called the withdrawal “prudent”, noting the B-1’s status as a strategic asset.
Liberal Democrat defence spokesperson James MacCleary described the pullout as “deeply concerning” and urged the government to set out a plan to ensure bases are “fit for purpose”. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said there were “strong indications” of Iranian involvement, while Rubio said the episode “clearly involve[d] the hands of a foreign actor”. Tehran denies any role.
RAF Fairford has long served as a US forward operating site. In recent months, B-1 and B-52 bombers flew missions to the Middle East after London approved their use for strikes on Iran. Locals near the base expressed relief.
