British nationals flown back from Middle East to hit 100,000
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says government has worked 'relentlessly' on 'complex task' of bringing people home from Muscat and Dubai
The number of British nationals who have flown back from the Middle East since the start of the Iran war has reached 100,000.
Yvette Cooper said UK citizens in the Gulf were left “stuck” in the region after fighting broke out at the end of February.
She said Iran had fired hundreds of missiles and launched thousands of drones since the US and Israel’s attack began.
Making a statement about the Middle East in the Commons, the Foreign Secretary told MPs: “On the outset of this crisis, more than 300,000 British citizens were in the region – and when the airstrikes started and airspace closed, many were stuck.
“And we’ve been working relentlessly since then to help them get home. This has been a complex task.”
Ms Cooper later added: “We’ve laid on additional Government charter flights from Muscat and from Dubai.
“And we estimate now that the number of British nationals who will have flown back from the region since the start of the war will today reach 100,000.”
The Foreign Secretary earlier said: “Since the start of this conflict, we have seen Iran fire over 900 missiles and over 3,000 drones across 13 countries in the region, across countries which are partners with the UK and where hundreds of thousands of British citizens visit, work or live.
“Regional air defences have intercepted the vast majority of Iranian strikes, but in recent days we have seen damage to oil export infrastructure, gas facilities, ports and airports and restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz – with major consequences for the global economy and impacting on the UK economy, too.”
Conservative shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel urged Ms Cooper to “confirm what assurances and confidence she gave” to Gulf administrations.
She added: “What specific commitments did she make to them to better protect our bases and allies in the region?
“The way in which our friends and close security partners who host British armed forces have been subject to outrageous, unprovoked aggression has been painful to watch.
“Britain cannot stand by while our allies do the heavy lifting to protect us all.”
Ms Cooper replied the UK was providing Gulf countries “with direct military defensive support”, with F35 and Typhoons in the region.
She had earlier told the Commons: “We will not be drawn into a wider war, nor will we outsource our foreign policy.
“Our decisions will be based on UK values and the UK national interest.”
Turning to Lebanon, the Foreign Secretary said she was “concerned the country is on the precipice of a widening conflict that risks disastrous humanitarian consequences”.
She called for “urgent” diplomatic talks.
“This scale of humanitarian displacement is unacceptable and risk devastating consequences,” she said.
“So this weekend I announced the UK would provide an additional £5 million of essential humanitarian aid.
“Today, I can announce a further £10 million of humanitarian support to provide emergency medical care, shelter and other life saving assistance in Lebanon and the region to prevent further displacement and instability that would risk escalating the regional problems with wider impact on other countries beyond the region too.”
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