The 146ft B-1 Lancer arrived at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Friday evening after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer granted permission for defensive US action against Iranian missile sites from UK bases.

The development comes after US President Donald Trump and a number of British politicians, including Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, criticised Starmer for a delay in granting permission to use the military bases.

Starmer has defended his decision, suggesting the war could have been unlawful and lacked a viable, thought-through plan.