In a Downing Street press conference, Keir Starmer pledged to maintain a shield over Brits and UK allies in the region as he announced plans to scramble extra fighter jets to Qatar
Keir Starmer has given an update on the escalating crisis in the Middle East as he made it clear the conflict could go on for some time.
In a press conference from Downing Street, the Prime Minister pledged to maintain a shield over Brits and UK allies in the region as he announced plans to scramble extra fighter jets to beef up defences.
Mr Starmer said he had chaired a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee, and acknowledged that people across the UK are “worried sick about their family and friends who are caught up in this”.
He once again defended his decision not to commit the UK to offensive action, and distanced himself further from Donald Trump.
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He said: “I want to reassure the British public about the action that we are taking while the region has been plunged into chaos. My focus is providing calm, level-headed leadership in the national interest.”
Here’s what you need to know about what the PM announced.
1. Extra fighter jets deployed to the region
The Prime Minister said the UK was scrambling four additional Typhoon jets to Qatar to bolster defensive operations in the region.
Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities are also being sent to Cyprus, where a UK military base, RAF Akrotiri, was hit by a drone earlier this week.
HMS Dragon, a type 45 warship, is also being deployed – but it is unlikely to arrive in the Mediterranean until next week.
He said: “We will maintain this shield over British people in the region and our allies.”
2. First charter flight has taken off
A Government-chartered flight from Oman to Britain has now taken off, the PM said, after it was delayed from doing so overnight.
He said the Government would lay on additional repatriation flights to bring Brits to safety in the coming days.
Mr Starmer confirmed that more than 4,000 people have arrived back via commercial flights from the United Arab Emirates, with a further seven flights due to leave today.
British Airways is putting on daily flights from Oman, and the Government is working to increase the speed and capacity of the airlift, he said.
3. More than 140,000 Brits register presence
The number of people who have registered their presence in the region with the Foreign Office has risen above 140,000, the Prime Minister said.
He said the scale of the task was massive – far greater than the airlift out of Afghanistan in 2021 when the Taliban surged to power.
He said: “I want to be very clear, this is a huge undertaking. It’s one of the biggest operations of its kind, many times bigger than the evacuation from Afghanistan.
“It’s not going to happen overnight, but we will not stop until our people are safe.”
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4. Special relationship ‘in operation’ but no Trump call since Saturday
Keir Starmer once again rebuffed questions about the relationship with Donald Trump – but admitted the last time the pair spoke was on Saturday night.
The US President has lashed out at the PM repeatedly in recent days, branding him “no Winston Churchill” in an Oval Office rant. The tensions have raised questions about the state of the so-called special relationship
Asked if the US president was right to suggest he was spoiling the special relationship, the Prime Minister said: “Look, the special relationship is in operation right now.
“We’re working with the Americans in the deployment from our bases. We are working together in the region, the US and the British, working together to protect both the US and the British in joint bases where we’re jointly located, and we’re sharing intelligence on 24/7 basis in the usual way.
“That is the special relationship. That is a special relationship in operation, and clearly, it’s for the president to take decisions that he considers in the national interest the right decisions for the US. I understand that, I respect that, but equally, it’s for me as the British Prime Minister to take decisions that I consider to be in the best interest of the United Kingdom.”
5. PM grilled over reports of Cabinet revolt on Iran action
Keir Starmer was grilled on reports he had been persuaded by members of his top team against supporting the initial wave of US-Israeli strikes against Iran. The PM refused to allow the US to use British military bases for the action at the weekend.
But on Sunday he agreed to let the American military use Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford to target Iranian missile sites after Tehran launched a wave of retaliatory strikes against allies in the region.
Asked about the reports, the PM said: “Let me be really clear about this; no request came in the specific terms that we acceded until Saturday afternoon.” He said no request had been made on Friday when the National Security Council met – and the Cabinet all agreed to his decision on Sunday.
6. Nation mustn’t allow the conflict to divide us
The PM said the conflict must not be allowed to create division in communities in Britain – and said the Government was reaching out to Jewish and Muslim groups.
He said: “The sad fact is that some will try to use it to divide us. That’s why the government is reaching out to communities across the United Kingdom – Jewish and Muslim alike – making sure that communities and places of worship have appropriate protective security in place.
He added: “As a nation we should come together in this moment.”
7. UK working to shield Brits against economic hit
Keir Starmer sought to reassure people in Britain worried about the impact on their bills from the spiralling conflict, as Iran targets oil and gas facilities in Gulf countries.
He accused Tehran of trying to “inflict economic pain around the world”, and said the UK would work with industries affected and allies to respond.
But he said the long-terms plans of the Government – on the economy, on defence spending, on energy – were the right ones.
