
UK knew about US missile strike on Iran, says Reynolds
Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds has said the UK knew the US military strikes against Iran were going to happen, but said the UK was not involved.
US President Donald Trump confirmed late Saturday, June 21, that US military had carried out strikes against three Iranian facilities, Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, despite previous pleas from the UK for de-escalation.
Reynolds, the UK's business and trade secretary told Sky News, 'We are not and have not been involved in these attacks... We did know, I can't tell you when, but we were informed by a key ally, as you might expect, of this action.'
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BBC News
24 minutes ago
- BBC News
US and Iran: What's happening?
The United States has launched military strikes in Iran, attacking three nuclear bases in the in a televised speech from the White House, US President Donald Trump called the operation a "spectacular military success" and warned that Iran should make peace or face "far greater" response to the strikes, Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said: "The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences." What's the background to this? The US bombing of Iran's nuclear sites comes just over a week after Israel launched strikes on then Israel and Iran have continued to fire missiles at each and the US have long been allies. Now President Trump has decided to support Israel by joining the attack on said American warplanes attacked three nuclear sites in Iran - including an underground nuclear site called has always said its nuclear research is for peaceful purposes like the strikes President Trump said: "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated." What has been the reaction? UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described Iran's nuclear programme as "a grave threat to international security"."Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat," Starmer Foreign Minister David Lammy says "the UK did not participate in these strikes" and urged Iran to "show restraint and reach a diplomatic solution to end the crisis", which means through peaceful UN Secretary-General António Guterres said:"There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace."Since the US bombing, missile attacks between Israel and Iran have continued.

Western Telegraph
25 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
PM urges Britons to contact Foreign Office for Israel evacuation flights
It comes after the US attacked three nuclear sites in Iran overnight and Tehran then launched a ballistic missile barrage against Israel. Speaking to Sky News, Sir Keir Starmer said: 'I urge all citizens to make contact with the Foreign Office so that we can facilitate whatever support is needed.' He added that the Government will help evacuate British citizens on charter flights 'as soon as we can'. Sir Keir said: 'Well for British citizens, we've been saying for some time to register their presence. 'And so far as Israel is concerned, just as soon as we can get charter flights off, we will do so.' The UK is preparing a flight to transport vulnerable British nationals and their dependants out of Israel and the OPTs early next week. British nationals in Israel and the OPTs should register their presence to receive the latest updates and register their interest in the… — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) June 22, 2025 The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has continued to urge British nationals to register their details and interest in evacuation flights, the first of which it said will take off early next week. It said further flights 'will be considered depending on demand and the latest security situation'. According to the Israeli Government, some 22,000 tourists are seeking to board evacuation flights. It is unclear how many of these are UK citizens. British nationals who have already registered will automatically be contacted and provided with a link to the booking portal, the FCDO said. Those eligible for the flight will be expected to pay for their seat – and payment will be taken on registration on the flight booking form. The FCDO added that those with 'greatest need' will be prioritised, and British nationals plus their non-British immediate family members travelling with them are eligible. All passengers must hold a valid travel document, and those non-British immediate family members will require valid visas/permission to enter or remain that was granted for more than six months, the FCDO said. The UK has been working on charter flights for Britons in Israel but none have so far taken off as the country's airspace has been closed. Jonathan Reynolds said the Government is 'in active conversation' about chartering aircraft to get people out of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Business Secretary Jonathon Reynolds told Sky News on Sunday morning: 'We are in active conversations about chartering aircraft to get people out.' Asked if that will happen imminently, Mr Reynolds said: 'I believe our intention would be to do that as soon as possible… hours, not days.' Meanwhile, shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel told Times Radio the UK 'must not be behind the curve' in evacuating its nationals. 'The Government's got to start moving fast now in terms of British nationals in Israel,' Dame Priti said. 'They've been talking about this for days… Israeli airspace is shut down. 'The Americans are ready to evacuate 25,000 US nationals — we must not be behind the curve.' The FCDO has warned British nationals not to make their way to the airport unless they are contacted. Register your presence: — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) June 22, 2025 A spokesperson said: 'This is a perilous and volatile moment for the Middle East. 'The safety of British nationals in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories continues to be our utmost priority – that's why the UK Government is preparing flights to help those wanting to leave. 'Working closely with the Israeli authorities, our staff are continuing to work at pace to assist British nationals on the ground and ensure they receive the support they need.' Commercial flights remain in operation from Egypt and Jordan to the UK, and international land border crossings to these countries remain open. The FCDO said the situation 'remains volatile' and the Government's ability to run flights out of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories 'could change at short notice'. The portal to register presence in Israel as a Briton is available at:


Telegraph
25 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Morrisons orders head office staff to work full time
Morrisons has ordered staff working in its head office back to their desks five days a week as the supermarket battles to revive its fortunes. The supermarket is understood to have told its employees based at its headquarters in Bradford that they must work a full five-day week after abandoning a policy which allowed staff to work compressed hours. Previously, staff were required to work 37.5 hours over four and a half days under a flexible working week pilot which the supermarket kicked off in 2020. The decision to revert back to five day weeks, which came into force this month, comes as bosses step up a drive to reinvigorate the supermarket as it loses customers to rivals including Aldi. Rami Baitiéh, who took over as Morrisons chief executive in late 2023, has been spearheading a turnaround effort. Last week, the supermarket said sales grew 4.2pc to £3.9bn in the 13 weeks to April 27, versus a year earlier. Mr Baitiéh said the figures showed it had 'bounced back strongly' after cyber issues in November. However, data from Kantar showed Morrisons' share of the grocery market dipped to 8.4pc in May compared to 8.6pc a year earlier. The head office changes are expected to help Morrisons cope with mounting competition from rivals as they step up a price war. Both Asda and Tesco have said they are expecting profits to take a hit this year as they invest heavily on price cuts. A spokesman for Morrisons said the head office changes would improve customer service and make sure its shelves are better stocked in stores. They added: 'In the context of a relentlessly competitive UK grocery market and widespread increased cost pressures, we have taken the difficult decision to ask our head office colleagues to move their working pattern from 4.5 days to a full five day week.' Staff will still be allowed to work both from home and the office during the week, and individuals may be able to work flexibly if they need to do so. It marks the latest shake-up of Morrisons' office working policy. In 2020, the supermarket introduced a four-day working week for head office workers, saying the change would 'make Morrisons a place where more people will want to join and stay'. Under the scheme, head office workers were asked to work on Saturdays once every four weeks. However, last year, Morrisons said it was changing its requirements following complaints from staff over having to work over the weekend. As part of the update, head office staff switched to a four and a half day week and were not asked to work any Saturdays. Morrisons' rivals have also scaled back flexible working policies since the pandemic. Last year, Asda scrapped its pilot after managers said a 44-hour week over four days trial left them exhausted. Domestic & General, a household appliance specialist employing 3,000 people, said it had received similar feedback from staff following a test of a four-day week. However, a four-day working week policy has received support from some in the Government, with Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, previously saying: 'If you can deliver within a four-day working week, then why not?' The Government later said this would not be part of its policy plans. Meanwhile, last year, the UK's first medical trial of a four-day working week suggested that there could be benefits to compressing hours. In the study, conducted by the University of Sussex, the policy was found to make employees happier and healthier. However, the company involved in the trial, Thrive, opted against adopting a four-day week full-time after its business suffered. The study found that the policy created some problems 'at a business level, particularly when it came to providing customer service'.