Starmer calls for calm amid ‘rising tensions' between India and Pakistan
Sir Keir Starmer called for India and Pakistan to take steps to ease the 'rising tensions' following exchanges of fire in Kashmir.
The Prime Minister said the UK was encouraging 'dialogue, de-escalation and the protection of civilians'.
Pakistan has described Delhi's missile attacks as an 'act of war' and responded with shelling on the Indian side of the line of control.
At least 26 people, including a child, are reported to have died in the missile strikes which came in retaliation to last month's massacre of tourists in the Indian part of Kashmir.
Pakistan responded with shelling – killing seven civilians according to Indian police and medics – and claimed to have shot down Indian fighter jets.
At Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said: 'Rising tensions between India and Pakistan will be of serious concern for many across Britain.
'We are engaging urgently with both countries as well as other international partners, encouraging dialogue, de-escalation and the protection of civilians.'
The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for the region, warning against all travel within 10 kilometres of the India-Pakistan border and 10 miles of the line of control, the de facto border that divides disputed Kashmir.
In a separate statement, Foreign Secretary David Lammy called for India and Pakistan to 'show restraint and engage in direct dialogue to find a swift, diplomatic path forward'.
Mr Lammy said he had 'made clear to my counterparts in India and Pakistan that if this escalates further, nobody wins'.
He added: 'The UK was clear in its condemnation of the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam last month. We need all sides to work urgently to see regional stability restored and ensure protection of civilians.'
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak backed India's right to retaliate after the terrorist attack.
He said: 'No nation should have to accept terrorist attacks being launched against it from land controlled by another country.
'India is justified in striking terrorist infrastructure. There can be no impunity for terrorists.'
The escalation in the conflict between the two nuclear-armed powers follows last month's massacre, which New Delhi has blamed Pakistan for.
Islamabad has denied responsibility for the attack by armed militants near Pahalgam.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Ministers share 'same frustrations' over Gaza war as protesters, says Wes Streeting
Ministers share the "same frustrations" over the Gaza war as protesters, Wes Streeting has said. The health secretary said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy are "working intensively" with international allies to try to bring the conflict to an end. This includes the return of Israeli hostages from Gaza and a ceasefire - "and crucially, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state", he said. Mr Streeting added: "Those of us who are in positions of power in government share all the same frustrations that the people who are marching on the streets because we want to see an end to this conflict, we want to see peace for Israelis and for Palestinians, and we want to see justice and statehood for the Palestinian people." He called the situation in the coastal territory "a horror show" and said the UK is working with international allies to try to get more aid into Gaza. But, he said international leaders have not "delivered the results that we want to see". On whether Israel is committing genocide, Mr Streeting said: "That's a question for international courts to weigh up. "Whether or not we use that term and whether or not the courts make that judgement doesn't alter the fact that we can see with our own eyes - that innocent children are dying in great numbers. "They are either starving or they are being bombed. And it's not just children, it's other innocent civilians, it's civilian infrastructure." A new Israel and US-backed aid system launched last week was paused on Wednesday and part of Thursday after dozens of Palestinians were killed as they attempted to collect aid in southern Gaza on Tuesday. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation reopened two distribution sites on Thursday as the UN warned most of Gaza's 2.3m population is at risk of famine after the 11-week Israeli blockade. Data collected by the UN from humanitarian groups found the rate of young children suffering from acute malnutrition in Gaza has nearly tripled since a ceasefire earlier this year when aid flowed more freely than it is now. 0:42 Around 5.8% out of nearly 50,000 children under five screened in the second half of May were diagnosed with acute malnutrition. This was up from 4.7% in early May and nearly three times the rate in February during a pause in fighting in the 20-month war between Israel and Hamas. Also on Thursday, Israel announced it had recovered the bodies of two dual-nationality Israeli-American hostages in their 70s, Gadi Hagi and his wife Judy Weinstein-Hagi, who were killed in Hamas' 7 October attack then taken to Gaza. At least 20 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza on Thursday, including four journalists in a hospital, the Hamas-run local health authority said.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Terrorism the only issue Starmer handling well, poll finds
Terrorism is the only issue that British people think Sir Keir Starmer is handling well, new polling suggests. In a damning audit of Labour's first year in office, voters gave the Government bad marks on 14 out of 15 key policy areas, from taxation to immigration. The YouGov survey, conducted over the past month, makes grim reading for the Prime Minister, who has struggled with plummeting approval ratings since entering No 10. It indicates the scale of the challenge he faces to win back the public's trust amid the rise of Reform UK, with Labour still reeling from disastrous results at last month's local elections. Asked how the Government was faring in 15 key policy areas, voters indicated that terrorism was the only one they thought Sir Keir was handling well, with a net score of +3. The 14 other issues all received net negative ratings, with immigration the lowest at -60, followed closely by taxation on -58 and welfare on -53. Sir Keir also got bad marks on the economy, with a net score of -52, as well as housing, the NHS, crime, inflation, unemployment, Brexit, the environment, education, transport and defence. The survey, published on Thursday, was conducted between May 3 and June 2, using a representative sample of 8,538 British people. It will come as a blow to the Prime Minister before the spending review next week, at which the Chancellor is expected to unveil cuts to day-to-day spending to keep within her self-imposed fiscal rules. The positive feedback on Labour's handling of terrorism will be encouraging for the Government, suggesting Sir Keir is broadly trusted to keep the country safe. But the lack of confidence in the Prime Minister's ability to tackle the small boats crisis will concern No 10 as Reform storms ahead in the opinion polls. A similarly dire score on welfare suggests Sir Keir has work to do to win back Labour's traditional supporters on the Left, many of whom were dismayed by his sweeping cuts to benefits earlier this year. No 11 will also be disappointed by the lack of faith in Labour's ability to handle the economy, despite Rachel Reeves's attempt to put fiscal responsibility front and centre of her plans. Sir Keir declared Reform his main opposition last month, setting him up for a battle with Nigel Farage on highly charged issues such as migration and net zero. Meanwhile, the Reform leader parked his tanks on Labour's lawn by promising to reverse the cut to winter fuel payments for pensioners in full and lift the two-child benefit cap. The YouGov poll found that nearly three-quarters of voters thought Sir Keir was doing 'very badly' or 'fairly badly' on immigration, compared to just 13 per cent who thought he was doing well. Labour has been accused of losing control of Britain's borders after close to 1,200 small boat migrants crossed the Channel in a single day.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Starmer welcomes King of Jordan as Gaza conflict continues
Sir Keir Starmer welcomed King Abdullah II of Jordan to Downing Street on Thursday amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The Prime Minister hailed Abdullah's 'leadership, particularly in the region' and described his work on the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas as 'really, really important'. He said: 'We share the objective of getting back to a ceasefire just as quickly as we can, getting those hostages out and getting humanitarian aid in fast and at speed. 'And of course we both agree that the only long-term solution is that two-state solution.' King Abdullah said: 'I think this is a timely visit, there's a lot happening, and I think the coordination and the exchanges we will have today will be very helpful, to not only Jordan but countries in my region and Europe too.' The meeting in Downing Street comes after the UK backed a resolution at the UN Security Council calling for Israel to lift restrictions on aid entering Gaza, which was ultimately vetoed by the US.
