Politics

Keir Starmer Could Be Moved to Secret RAF Base if Things Kick Off with Russia

Published on June 11, 2025

Keir Starmer might have only just settled into Number 10, but behind the scenes there are already serious conversations happening about what would happen if global tensions with Russia were to boil over. According to a new report from i, the Prime Minister could be whisked away to a secure RAF base if things really start to escalate.

The site in question is RAF High Wycombe, located in Walter’s Ash, South Buckinghamshire — a base with a long history, dating back to 1938, just before the Second World War. But this isn’t just some dusty old military site. It’s already a key hub for the Ministry of Defence and serves as headquarters for both air and space command. That means it’s not just keeping an eye on enemy aircraft but also watching for missile threats, including those launched from outside Earth’s atmosphere.

According to the report, “This has day-to-day use as the MoD’s air command as well as space command – monitoring threats in the skies as well as, potentially, exoatmospheric intercontinental missiles launched by an enemy state.”

The idea would be to turn the site into an “alternative headquarters” if conflict ever reached a point where Downing Street became vulnerable. It would allow Starmer and key Cabinet members to continue running the government from a protected location, while military operations could carry on from the same base.

One of the reasons RAF High Wycombe has been flagged as a potential safe haven is its proximity to Chequers, the PM’s official country residence, which is just a few miles away in Ellesborough. That would make any emergency relocation much quicker and smoother if time was of the essence.

But it wouldn’t just be Starmer disappearing to a secret bunker. The report says a wider strategy would kick in, with other senior government figures, civil servants, and military leaders spread across multiple locations around the country. This is to avoid having the entire leadership concentrated in one place, just in case the worst should happen.

These kinds of contingency plans have always existed in the background, but with tensions rising globally and Russia’s war rhetoric refusing to ease up, they’re being taken a lot more seriously.

It’s a reminder that the job of Prime Minister is about more than domestic policy and photo ops. Starmer, who only officially took office on 4 July after a landslide election victory, is already dealing with the reality of what it means to be at the helm during uncertain times.

He might be new in the role, but it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing. His approval rating is already slipping, with recent numbers showing support at just 24 per cent — a record low for any British Prime Minister this early into the job.

While most voters are understandably focused on issues closer to home, such as healthcare and the economy, it’s clear that those in power are also preparing for a far more serious set of possibilities. Whether Starmer will ever have to trade Downing Street for a fortified military base in the Buckinghamshire countryside remains to be seen, but the plans are there, just in case.

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