Prime Minister Keir Starmer could be relocated to a secretive RAF command base in High Wycombe if the UK came under nuclear attack from Russia, it has emerged.
According to a June 8 report by The i, the recently elected Labour leader would take refuge at RAF High Wycombe, a fortified underground command facility originally constructed in 1938, in the event of direct military conflict with Vladimir Putin’s regime.
The Cold War-era installation, located in Walter’s Ash, South Buckinghamshire, sits just miles from the Prime Minister’s weekend retreat at Chequers, and is equipped to serve as an Alternative Headquarters (AHQ) for the UK government.
Underground HQ to Shield PM and Cabinet
While the site is already home to the Ministry of Defence’s Air and Space Command, the report confirms that the bunker could also accommodate the Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers, and key military staff, ensuring the continuity of government operations if central London were targeted or destroyed.
RAF High Wycombe plays a critical role in monitoring enemy missile launches and space-based threats, making it a natural fallback position in the event of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) attacks.
Quoting an unnamed source, The i wrote:
“As an alternative headquarters or ‘AHQ’, it could accommodate the PM and Cabinet, as well as ongoing military operations, to ensure the running of government.”
Contingency Plans: Government on the Move
The report adds that in such a scenario, other ministers and key personnel would be dispersed across the UK to designated “regional hubs”, ensuring no single strike could decapitate the government’s response.
The revelation comes just days after Starmer’s historic general election victory on July 4, which ended 14 years of Conservative rule. Yet despite the landslide win, Starmer’s personal approval rating sits at a record-low 24%, the lowest for any newly elected Prime Minister.
Strategic Signals in a Dangerous World
The disclosure of Starmer’s potential wartime relocation highlights the growing sense of vulnerability surrounding critical UK infrastructure, and the very real contingency planning for nuclear-era threats, amid escalating tensions with the Kremlin.
While Downing Street has not confirmed the details, defence sources indicate the plan reflects standard Cold War-era doctrine updated for modern geopolitical threats.
RAF High Wycombe, long seen as a critical command post, could once again become a nerve centre for Britain’s survival strategy, should the unthinkable happen.
