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Politics Home | Keir Starmer Says UK Is Sending Four More Typhoon Jets To Help Defend Brits In Middle East
Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave a press conference on Thursday afternoon about the conflict in the Middle East (Alamy)
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Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the UK is sending more jets to “maintain the shield” over the British people in the Middle East, after Iran launched a fresh wave of attacks against Israel and US targets in the region.
Starmer gave a Downing Street press conference on Thursday afternoon to update the public on the conflict in the Middle East, as the war between Iran and the US and Israel continues into its sixth day.
“I can announce today that we’re sending four additional Typhoon jets to join our squadron in Qatar,” he said.
“To strengthen our defensive operations in Qatar and across the region, Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities are arriving in Cyprus tomorrow.”
Starmer defended his decision not to join the initial US-Israeli strikes on Iran, after he declined a request to allow US planes to use British bases, saying that his focus was on “providing calm, level-headed leadership”.
He later approved a US request to use British bases to carry out “defensive” strikes on Iran.
Responding to President Donald Trump’s criticism of his initial decision not to approve US use of British bases, which included saying Starmer is no Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister said that, just as Trump is taking decisions in his country’s national interest, he is taking decisions in the interest of Britain.
Starmer warned that the conflict “could continue for some time”, and said that when the strikes began on Saturday, the UK “immediately” put jets into the sky to “protect our people and our allies in the region”.
The jets have shot down multiple drones, at least one of which was heading towards a base housing British military personnel.
Starmer addressed the ongoing evacuation flights from the region, with more than 4,000 people having now arrived back in the UK on commercial flights from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
A further seven flights are due to leave the UAE for the UK on Thursday, and Starmer confirmed that the first charter flight from Oman took off earlier today.
“I want to be very clear, this is a huge undertaking,” he said.
“It’s one of the biggest operations of its kind, many times bigger than the evacuation from Afghanistan.”
In his speech at the press conference, Starmer said that some would use the geopolitical crisis 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 said.
“As a nation, we should come together in this moment. Those citizens who are stuck in the region, scared and in need of help, come from all backgrounds; the armed forces who protect them come from all backgrounds, too. We are united by our common humanity and our love of this country.”
