More UK jets being sent to the Middle East as Starmer calls for calm
The Prime Minister said further military assets are being deployed to provide 'contingency support' across the region amid escalating hostilities between the two long-time foes.
Additional refuelling aircraft have been deployed from UK bases and more fast jets will be sent over, it is understood.
The UK already has RAF jets in the Middle East as part of Operation Shader.
Speaking to reporters travelling with him on a visit to Canada, Sir Keir declined to rule out intervening in the conflict entirely but made clear he would continue pressing for de-escalation and said the 'intense' developments over the weekend would be discussed in detail at the G7 summit.
'These are obviously operational decisions and the situation is ongoing and developing and therefore I'm not going to get into the precise details, but we are moving assets, we've already been moving assets to the region, including jets, and that is for contingency support across the region. So that is happening,' he said.
Sir Keir added: 'Our constant message is de-escalate, and therefore everything we're doing, all discussions we're having are to do with de-escalation.'
Asked whether he would rule out UK involvement, he said: 'I'm not going to get in to that.'
Britain last announced it had deployed fighter jets in the region in last year, when the Government said British aircraft had played a part in efforts to prevent further escalation.
It comes after Iranian state media said Tehran had warned it would target US, UK and French bases in the region if the countries help Israel thwart Iran's strikes, according to reports on Saturday.
Iran launched missile and drone attacks on Israel overnight after a series of Israeli strikes on the heart of Tehran's nuclear programme and armed forces.
Tehran's UN ambassador said 78 people had been killed and more than 320 wounded in Israel's attacks, while its response was said to have killed at least three and wounded dozens.
A Cobra meeting of high-level ministers was convened on Friday afternoon to discuss the situation. The same is not expected on Saturday but Whitehall officials were expected to be meeting.
The conflict was ignited by early morning Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear bases on Friday.
Israel said the barrage was necessary before Iran got any closer to building a nuclear weapon, although experts and the US government have assessed that Tehran was not actively working on such a weapon.
Iran retaliated with waves of drones and ballistic missiles, with explosions lighting up the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Both the UK and the US have insisted they were not involved in the Israeli strikes and that the country acted unilaterally.
Sir Keir would not be drawn on whether the UK was given notice of Israel's attack after reports that the country was not forewarned following the Government's decision to sanction two far-right Israeli ministers last week.
'In relation to Israel, I had a good and constructive discussion with Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday, and that included discussions about the safety and security of Israel, as you would expect, between two allies,' he said.
Asked if Britain had been told in advance of Israeli's military plans, the Prime Minister said: 'I'm not going to go into what information we had at the time or since.
'But we discuss these things intensely with our allies. But I'm not going to get into precisely what we knew, because it's a constant flow of information between our allies, and between us and the US.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leader Live
40 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Baroness Casey's findings on grooming gangs set to be announced
The Home Secretary is set to address Parliament over the review, which prompted the Prime Minister to implement a full probe after months of resistance. Meanwhile, the Home Office has said that the National Crime Agency (NCA) will carry out a nationwide operation targeting people who have sexually exploited children. Earlier this year, the Government dismissed calls for a public inquiry, saying its focus was on putting in place the outstanding recommendations already made in a seven-year national inquiry by Professor Alexis Jay. Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said on Sunday that the delivery of the Casey review should not mean agencies and ministers delay on bringing forward changes that have been recommended before. She told the BBC's Westminster Hour that 'we have had the Jay Inquiry before, there are lots of recommendations already on the table so whilst I welcome this announcement, at the same time it shouldn't be an excuse for the Government or other agencies to delay action in terms of implementing the recommendations of previous inquiries'. According to the Home Office, the NCA will work in partnership with police forces to investigate cases that 'were not progressed through the criminal justice system' in the past. Ms Cooper said that it was 'unforgivable' that 'not enough people' listened to victims in the past, but ministers 'are changing that now'. She said: 'The vulnerable young girls who suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of groups of adult men have now grown into brave women who are rightly demanding justice for what they went through when they were just children. 'Not enough people listened to them then. That was wrong and unforgivable. We are changing that now.' According to the Times, the review by Baroness Casey is expected to explicitly link the grooming gang issue to men of Pakistani origin and say that people were ignored for the fear of racism. The review comes after a row on the issue was ignited earlier this year, when Sir Keir became embroiled in a row with tech billionaire Elon Musk over calls for a national investigation. In January, the Prime Minister hit out at politicians 'calling for inquiries because they want to jump on the bandwagon of the far right', but on Sunday, the Chancellor said that Sir Keir had been focused on 'victims' rather than 'grandstanding'. Asked whether the Prime Minister had changed his mind about the idea of a national inquiry, the Chancellor told the Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: 'I think Keir Starmer, our Prime Minister, has always been really focused, as he was when he was director of public prosecutions, on the victims and not grandstanding. 'But actually doing the practical things to ensure that something like this never happens again, but also to ensure that the victims of this horrific abuse over many, many years is got to grips with and that people have answers to their questions.' A children's charity has said that the Government must not wait until the end of the inquiry to implement the recommendations from existing reports sich as the Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). Lynn Perry, chief executive of Barnardo's, said: 'Children and survivors of abuse have already been waiting many years for action, so it's vital the Government doesn't wait for the outcome of this new inquiry to implement recommendations from previous ones. 'That includes upskilling social workers and other professionals to spot the signs of abuse, as well as investing in vital support services to help children experiencing life-changing consequences of abuse and to keep them safe from further harm.'
Leader Live
40 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Water sector needs ‘root-and-branch' reform, MPs say
The cross-party Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee has said that the industry is 'failing', but that water companies are 'deaf to the crisis' that it is facing. In their report, Priorities For Water Sector Reform released on Monday, the MPs argue that the Government 'should feel able to use its temporary nationalisation powers' when needed. They also said the system should 'ensure that more money gained from investors and through customer bills is directed towards investment in water infrastructure and service delivery' and less towards debt repayment or financial rewards for executives. The system of fines and rewards should also focus on a reduction in pollution incidents, responsible ownership and the need for the sector to have long-term resilience, the MPs said. 'Despite some initial success after privatisation in 1989, root-and-branch reform of the water sector is now needed to improve the sector's culture,' the committee said. As part of their investigation, the MPs found that 'public disquiet has increasingly turned to outrage' at the way water companies and their bosses are benefiting from the sector. 'Over hearings with 10 of the largest water companies and Ofwat, we regularly encountered a culture that is deaf to the crisis thesector is facing,' they said. #WaterCompany senior executives will be banned from receiving a bonus if they breach standards relating to consumer and environmental matters, criminal liability and financial resilience, under new powers coming into force today. Find out more: — Ofwat (@Ofwat) June 6, 2025 Committee chairman Alistair Carmichael, a Liberal Democrat MP, said the sector 'must not shy away from bold proposals' and that it has a 'serious culture problem'. He said: 'Water companies' complex and sometimes impenetrable financial structures, with their myriad subsidiaries, holding companies and parent organisations, seem to suggest that their purpose is less to provide a good service to their customers and more to allow them to juggle their finances and their increasingly unsustainable levels of debt. 'Meanwhile, an ineffective regulatory system has failed to protect customers, the environment and the financial stability of the sector. 'It has failed to ensure that companies invest in essential infrastructure and it has not encouraged long-term thinking. 'This has got to stop now. Trust and accountability in the water sector are very low. 'It is not acceptable that it has fallen to commendable citizen scientists to expose issues with local water resources. 'Environmental protection and the delivery of reliable and safe water must be the first priorities of water companies and regulators.' A Defra spokesperson said: 'Our rivers, lakes and seas are polluted, and our water system is broken. 'As part of the plan for change, new legislation has banned unfair multimillion-pound bonuses for bosses at six water companies and launched a record 81 criminal investigations. 'This Government has also secured the largest investment into the water sector in history, with £104 bn in private sector investment to clean up rivers, lakes and seas and cut sewage by nearly half by 2030.' A Water UK spokesperson said: 'Everyone agrees that the water system is not working, and we have been calling for fundamental reforms which allow investment to get quickly to where it needs to go. 'In the meantime, companies are focused on investing a record £104 billion over the next five years to secure our water supplies, end sewage entering our rivers and seas and support economic growth.'
Powys County Times
40 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Israel-Iran conflict set to dominate as world leaders gather for G7
The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran is likely to be high on the agenda as world leaders gather in Canada on Monday. Sir Keir Starmer said that the G7 meeting in Alberta would provide an opportunity for allies to make the case for de-escalation in the 'fast moving' situation in the Middle East, with Donald Trump among those set to attend. Leaders have been urging calm in recent days since Israel first launched strikes against Iran before the weekend, with Sir Keir having held calls with Mr Trump, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz among others. Israel and Iran continued to exchange fire on Sunday, as the Iranian health ministry said that 224 people have been killed since the conflict ignited on Friday. Israel's attacks have killed a number of Tehran's top generals, as the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which controls Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles, said intelligence chief General Mohammad Kazemi and two other generals were the latest killed. The UK Government updated its travel guidance to advise against all travel to Israel on Sunday amid the continuing blows. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office website warns that 'travel insurance could be invalidated' if people travel against the advice, and described the current status as a 'fast-moving situation that poses significant risks'. Asked about reports that ministers have drawn up contingency plans to evacuate British nationals from Israel, a Number 10 spokesman said on Sunday: 'We always monitor the situation closely and we keep contingency plans, as you'd expect, under constant review.' The Associated Press reported on Sunday that Mr Trump in recent days vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Mr Trump said on Sunday that 'Iran and Israel should make a deal'. 'We will have peace soon between Israel and Iran,' he posted on his TruthSocial platform. 'Many calls and meetings now taking place.' He also told ABC News that 'it's possible we could get involved' in the conflict. A planned sixth round of talks between the US and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme did not take place on Sunday. 'We remain committed to talks and hope the Iranians will come to the table soon,' a senior US official said. The UK has been calling for de-escalation, and Sir Keir confirmed on Saturday that more RAF jets would be sent to the region for 'contingency support'. Earlier on Sunday, Rachel Reeves said that the decision to send the planes ' does not mean that we are at war'. 'We do have important assets in the region and it is right that we send jets to protect them and that's what we've done. 'It's a precautionary move,' she told Sky News. Oil prices surged surged on Friday after Israel's initial strikes against Iran's nuclear programme, sparking fears of increasing prices in the UK. The Chancellor told the BBC that there is 'no complacency' from the Treasury on the issue and 'we're obviously, monitoring this very closely as a government'.
