PM stands by decision not to join strikes on Iran and sends more jets to Qatar

Sir Keir Starmer has said he stands by his decision not to join the initial US-Israel strikes on Iran on Saturday, and said talks would be the best way forward.

At a Downing Street news conference, the PM said the UK had "the strength to stand by our values and our principles no matter the pressure to do otherwise".

The UK's longstanding position was that the best way forward was a "negotiated settlement with Iran where they give up their nuclear ambitions", he added, saying efforts should be made to "de-escalate" the conflict.

Sir Keir said the conflict could continue for "some time", as he announced the UK is sending four additional Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar.

US President Donald Trump has already criticised the prime minister for refusing to allow the use of UK bases in the initial strikes, and said he is "not Winston Churchill".

The UK agreed on Sunday to a US request to use British military bases but only for defensive strikes on Iranian missile sites.

Trump said the initial decision was "shocking" and that the UK-US relationship was "not what it was".

But Sir Keir insisted the special relationship between the US and the UK had not been fractured.

"Look, the special relationship is in operation right now," he told reporters on Thursday.

"We're sharing intelligence on a 24/7 basis in the usual way. That is the special relationship."

Sir Keir, who chaired a meeting of the government's emergency committee Cobra on Thursday, acknowledged that people are "worried sick about their family and friends who are caught up in this".

"We will do everything we can to protect British lives," he said.

The PM denied the UK was not prepared for the conflict, pointing out that Britain began pre-deploying assets to the region earlier this year - particularly Qatar and Cyprus - alongside the US and other allies.

Defence sources said 400 additional UK personnel had been sent over the past weeks to support air defence activities across the UK's bases in Cyprus.

It comes after the government faced criticism for its response when British bases in Bahrain and Cyprus were struck at the weekend.

"A lot of pre-planning has gone into this and a lot of pre-deployment," the prime minister said.

"I am satisfied we can keep our people safe."

Along with the Typhoon jets which defence sources say will be "rapidly" deployed, two wildcat helicopters with anti-drone-capabilities will also arrive in Cyprus on Friday.

The British warship HMS Dragon will also sail to Cyprus, but Defence Secretary John Healey told the BBC it will arrive "within the next couple of weeks".

It comes after a drone struck the runway at RAF Akrotiri on Sunday, causing what the Ministry of Defence described as "minimal damage".

Earlier, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Sometimes the best way to de-escalate a situation is to try and finish it quickly, rather than let it drag out because you don't want to get involved.

"Once our bases had been attacked, I think we became part of this, whether we liked it or not."

Healey met his counterpart Vasilis Palmas in Cyprus on Thursday to discuss how the UK was reinforcing air defences to support "our shared security," the PM's spokesman said.

Speaking to the BBC afterwards, he declined to answer whether he would rule out the UK joining the US and Israel strikes on Iran.

"We're doing now what the British can do best. We've got more jets here in Cyprus than any other nation," he said.

But he said, "the nature of any war, and any conflict, is that it changes".

"We just don't know for sure what the Iranians will do," he said, adding that the UK will adapt its action to ensure protection of the British people, forces and allies.

He also said the best assessment of the drone that struck the Akrotiri base was "probably fired from Lebanon".

Lorraine, a Briton who has lived in Cyprus for 35 years, told the BBC: "We feel more supported from the other European countries than we do from our own."

She praised Greece and France for being quick to help after attacks on the island, and her message for the UK government was to "step up".

Meanwhile, the UK has updated its travel advice for Cyprus, warning that the risk of a terrorist attack cannot be ruled out.

Sir Keir also said the first government-chartered flight for Britons stranded in the Middle East has taken off from Oman after it was delayed.

The repatriation flight from Oman was due to take off on Wednesday evening but it remained grounded after technical issues.

Sir Keir said that about 4,000 Britons had already made it home from the region, with thousands still stuck in the Middle East.

More than 140,000 people in the region have registered their presence with the UK government, he said.

A further seven flights are due to leave the UAE for the UK on Thursday, Sir Keir said, adding that the government will lay on additional charter flights in the coming days.

He said British Airways was putting on daily flights from Oman, and the government will keep working with partners to "increase the speed and capacity of this airlift".

Iran has retaliated to US-Israeli air strikes by launching attacks on Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf, including Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia.