The Foreign Secretary David Lammy said 63 Brits were evacuated from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport to Cyprus on an RAF A400. They were expected to arrive back in Britain on Monday evening
Dozens of Brits were airlifted out of danger by the RAF today as David Lammy warned the Middle East faces a “perilous moment”.
The Foreign Secretary said 63 Brits were evacuated from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport to Cyprus on an RAF A400. They were expected to arrive back in Britain on Monday evening on the first UK chartered flight since waves of strikes between Iran and Israel broke out. It was reported ex-Labour MP Louise Ellman and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis were onboard.
Mr Lammy also told MPs one British national had been injured in Israel as a result of Iranian strikes as the crisis in the region escalates. Over the weekend Donald Trump ordered US bombing raids on three Iranian nuclear facilities and floated the prospect of regime change in Tehran.
The Foreign Secretary said: “This is a perilous moment in the Middle East, waves of strikes between Israel and Iran have now lasted for 10 days, continuing overnight. I know the whole House will have in their thoughts the many civilians impacted by the fighting. I can confirm today, this includes one British national, injured in Israel. We’ve reached out to offer consular support.”
Mr Lammy said further RAF flights to evacuate British nationals will be arranged by the Foreign Office based on “demand and the latest security situation”. Around 4,000 British nationals in the region have “registered their interests” following a UK government appeal, which began on Tuesday. It is estimated around 1,000 of them could take up the offer of British assistance to leave.
READ MORE: British national injured in Israel after wave of strikes in Middle East, David Lammy says
Mr Lammy added: “Throughout the crisis, the safety of British nationals in the region has been our top priority. That is why the UK Government is working with the Israeli authorities to arrange RAF and charter flights to help those wanting to leave.”
“Today’s flight will bring British nationals and their dependents safely back to the UK. While the situation in the Middle East remains volatile, we are working around the clock to secure more flights and bring more people home.”
Ministers also withdrew staff from the UK’s embassy in Tehran on Friday. The Foreign Office has advised against travel to Iran since 2019. The update came as Keir Starmer prepared to jet to the NATO summit on Tuesday. Ahead of the visit the PM said the UK will commit to ramping up defence and security spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 to meet rising global threats.
NATO allies have agreed to the target ahead of the crunch summit in the Hague, which is expected to be dominated by the escalating crisis in the Middle East. Downing Street said the PM will urge all sides to step back from the brink and find a diplomatic solution to the rapidly spiralling conflict between Iran and Israel.
The Prime Minister said the UK would meet this “era of radical uncertainty” by pouring cash into defence and security as he prepared to head for the Netherlands for one of the most significant NATO summits since the Cold War.
Frantic negotiations have been underway to give the US President a win at his first NATO gathering since his re-election – and persuade him not to pull US support from Europe. Mr Trump has repeatedly demanded that members of the Western defensive alliance do more to foot the bill for Europe’s security.
At a NATO summit in 2018, he accused allies of freeloading off the United States, saying: “Many countries owe us a tremendous amount of money from many years back.” Mr Trump alarmed allies by pausing military aid from Ukraine and temporarily cutting off intelligence sharing following his White House clash with Volodymyr Zelensky in February.
Downing Street said the commitment would be split between 3.5% on core defence and 1.5% resilience and security, with a target date of 2035. But the move will raise questions over how it will be funded – and whether the redrawn definition to include infrastructure spending will go far enough.
Mr Starmer announced plans to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2027 earlier this year, funded by a raid on the foreign aid budget. But no details have been set out over how the UK will hit a higher target. Germany is expected to announce it will hit 3.5% by 2029, putting it far ahead of the UK.
Mr Starmer said: “We must navigate this era of radical uncertainty with agility, speed and a clear-eyed sense of the national interest to deliver security for working people and keep them safe. That’s why I have made the commitment to spend 5% of GDP on national security.
“This is an opportunity to deepen our commitment to NATO and drive greater investment in the nation’s wider security and resilience.”
Downing Street said the pledge was a “generational increase in defence and security spending” – which would have a major impact on the strength of NATO. The PM’s spokesman said: “The Prime Minister will travel to NATO tomorrow morning against a backdrop of global volatility. While there, you can expect the Prime Minister to continue to call for a diplomatic way forward in the Middle East, following his extensive conversations with partners over the weekend.”
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