Starmer says UK ‘stands with Israel’ and he is ‘deeply concerned’ Middle East is ‘on the brink’
Sir Keir Starmer has said Britain stands with Israel and warned he is “deeply concerned” that the Middle East “is on the brink”.
In a televised address from Downing Street, the prime minister condemned an attack by Iran which saw around 200 missiles launched into Israel.
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Sir Keir, who was on the phone to the Israeli PM when the assault was launched, said the rockets were aimed at civilian targets and it is “too soon to assess the impact fully”.
“I utterly condemn this attempt by the Iranian regime to harm innocent Israelis, to escalate this incredibly dangerous situation and push the region ever closer to the brink,” he said.
“We stand with Israel and we recognise her right to self-defence in the face of this aggression.”
Sir Keir called on Iran to “stop these attacks”, saying it had “menaced the Middle East for far too long”.
“I am deeply concerned that the region is on the brink, and I’m deeply concerned about the risk of miscalculation,” he added.
Sir Keir Starmer on the phone with Benjamin Netanyahu. Pic: Number 10
Israel has vowed “there will be repercussions” following the attack, which Iran said was in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon last week.
Asked if the UK would be prepared to use British military capabilities to help Israel defend itself against Iran, which backs the militant group, the prime minister said: “This, as you’ll appreciate, is an evolving situation.
“But what I will say is that we stand with Israel and her right to self-defence. And any relevant updates will be provided in due course.”
Sir Keir also chaired a ministerial meeting in Downing Street on Tuesday on the situation in the Middle East.
The attack on Israel began while he was talking to the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Number 10 revealed earlier this evening.
Sir Keir would not go into details of the call, but said all his discussions with world leaders on the conflict focus on the need for a ceasefire and a political solution.
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“My calls have been about the importance of creating the space and the conditions for that de-escalation, and to find that political route forward,” he told reporters after his televised address.
He added that with Mr Netanyahu he was able to “make the case for a ceasefire in Gaza”, which has been under seige for the past year following the Hamas attrocitie
The prime minister also repeated the advice for Britons in Lebanon to leave immediately, saying “we’re doing everything we can to get people out, but the situation is extremely volatile”.
“If you have the means to leave, the time is now,” he said.
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Heidi Alexander says ‘fairness’ will be government’s ‘guiding principle’ when it comes to taxes at next budget
Another hint that tax rises are coming in this autumn’s budget has been given by a senior minister.
Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was asked if Sir Keir Starmer and the rest of the cabinet had discussed hiking taxes in the wake of the government’s failed welfare reforms, which were shot down by their own MPs.
Trevor Phillips asked specifically if tax rises were discussed among the cabinet last week – including on an away day on Friday.
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Tax increases were not discussed “directly”, Ms Alexander said, but ministers were “cognisant” of the challenges facing them.
Asked what this means, Ms Alexander added: “I think your viewers would be surprised if we didn’t recognise that at the budget, the chancellor will need to look at the OBR forecast that is given to her and will make decisions in line with the fiscal rules that she has set out.
“We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”
Ms Alexander said she wouldn’t comment directly on taxes and the budget at this point, adding: “So, the chancellor will set her budget. I’m not going to sit in a TV studio today and speculate on what the contents of that budget might be.
“When it comes to taxation, fairness is going to be our guiding principle.”
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Afterwards, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Phillips: “That sounds to me like a barely disguised reference to tax rises coming in the autumn.”
He then went on to repeat the Conservative attack lines that Labour are “crashing the economy”.
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Chris Philp also criticsed the government’s migration deal with France
Mr Philp then attacked the prime minister as “weak” for being unable to get his welfare reforms through the Commons.
Discussions about potential tax rises have come to the fore after the government had to gut its welfare reforms.
Sir Keir had wanted to change Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but a large Labour rebellion forced him to axe the changes.
With the savings from these proposed changes – around £5bn – already worked into the government’s sums, they will now need to find the money somewhere else.
The general belief is that this will take the form of tax rises, rather than spending cuts, with more money needed for military spending commitments, as well as other areas of priority for the government, such as the NHS.
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