Keir Starmer also urged Brits in Israel to register their presence in the country as he issued a warning of the risks of the conflict between Iran and Israel escalating
Keir Starmer will meet with Donald Trump today for a one-to-one as fears escalate over an all-out war in the Middle East.
The PM will hold talks with the US President on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada – as he said the conflict between Israel and Iran would be the “number one issue”.
It comes after Mr Trump warned Tehran’s regime that the US would “come down on you at levels never seen before” if it comes under attack. But he said a deal could be done between Iran and Israel to “end this bloody conflict”.
“I do think there’s a consensus for de-escalation,” the PM said. “Obviously, what we need to do today is to bring that together and to be clear about how it is to be brought about.
“But the risk of the conflict escalating is obvious, I think, and the implications, not just for the region but globally are really immense, so the focus has to be on de-escalation.”
Mr Starmer is also urging Brits in Israel to register their presence in the country so that the government can build a clearer picture of who may need assistance.
It comes after the Foreign Office issued new advice urging UK nationals not to travel to the region with missiles hitting both the Iranian capital Tehran and Israel’s Tel Aviv.
Speaking on Monday, the PM said: ““All of us are giving advice to our citizens. For British nationals in Israel, we’re giving advice today to register their presence, so there will be a portal for that. So I think all countries (are) also taking the necessary measures on a protected basis.”
The Prime Minister urged both the Iranian regime and Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to de-escalate and said there would be an “intense discussion” on the issue today.
Mr Starmer said he will also talk about implementing the UK’s trade deal with the US during a one-on-one meeting with Donald Trump at the G7. The Prime Minister said the deal was in the “final stages” and he expects it to be completed “very soon”.
“But yes, I’ll be discussing that with President Trump, along with another number of other things. I’ll be having a one-on-one with him. I think I’m seeing him on a number of occasions today, because we’re in all of the sessions together.
“So I’ll be having a lot of conversations with President Trump, but we will be talking about our trade deal, because the trade deal, because that really matters for the vital sectors that are safeguarded under our deal, and so we’ve got to implement that now.”