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Keir Starmer warns Middle East on brink of all out war ahead of UN debut

UK sending around 700 troops to Cyprus for possible emergency evacuation of citizens

Millie Cooke
Political correspondent
Wednesday 25 September 2024 08:00 BST
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(Anadolu via Getty Images)

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SirĀ KeirĀ StarmerĀ has warned that the Middle East is on the brink of all out war ahead of his United Nations debut as prime minister on Wednesday.

It comes as IsraelĀ andĀ Hezbollah exchange fire acrossĀ theĀ Lebanon border, with the UK sending around 700 troops to Cyprus in case an emergency evacuation is required.

Asked on Wednesday morning whether he thinks the Middle East is on the brink of all out war, Sir Keir told the BBC: ā€œI am deeply concerned about it and I have myself put it in those terms, that we are essentially at a brink point and we have to come back from the brink.ā€

HeĀ willĀ useĀ hisĀ speech atĀ theĀ UN General Assembly, the annual gathering of world leaders, to set out how the UK will step up to play its part in a world increasingly dominated by conflict.

Speaking in New York, the prime minister will promise to deliver ā€œresponsible global leadershipā€ amid conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine.

(AFP/Getty)

Britons have been urged to leave Lebanon but with airlines suspending flights to the country because of the escalating violence, commercial escape routes could be cut off as the situation deteriorates.

The deployment to Cyprus comes as the government begins the first stage of its contingency plan, with the military team supported by Border Force and Foreign Office officials.

Defence Secretary John Healey announced the movement of troops on Tuesday night following a Cobra meeting earlier in the day.

The gathering will also see UkraineĀ push for authorisation to use UKĀ andĀ US-supplied missilesĀ toĀ strike at targets within Russia.

US president Joe Biden has so far resisted calls for the missiles to be targeted at airbasesĀ andĀ other facilitiesĀ inĀ Russia, despite Volodymyr Zelensky using the New York summit to lobby world leaders.

Defence Secretary John Healey at the Labour Party conference (Peter Byrne/PA)
Defence Secretary John Healey at the Labour Party conference (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)

There would need to be a shift in the US position for Mr Zelensky to secure a breakthrough on the issue.

Sir Keirā€™sĀ visitĀ toĀ theĀ UnitedĀ States comes less than six weeks beforeĀ theĀ countryā€™s presidential election, but it is not clear whether heĀ willĀ meet candidates Donald Trump or Kamala Harris while he isĀ inĀ New York.

InĀ hisĀ speech, dueĀ toĀ take placeĀ onĀ Thursday, heĀ willĀ say: ā€œWe are returning the UK to responsible global leadership.

ā€œThis is the moment to reassert fundamental principles and our willingness to defend them. ToĀ recommitĀ toĀ theĀ UN,Ā toĀ internationalism,Ā toĀ theĀ ruleĀ of law.

ā€œBecause I know that this mattersĀ toĀ theĀ British people.Ā War, povertyĀ andĀ climate change all rebound on us at home. They make us less secure, they harm our economy,Ā andĀ they create migration flowsĀ onĀ an unprecedented scale.

ā€œTheĀ British people are saferĀ andĀ more prosperous when we work internationallyĀ toĀ solve these problems, insteadĀ ofĀ merely tryingĀ toĀ manage their effects.

ā€œSo,Ā theĀ responsibleĀ globalĀ leadershipĀ that weĀ willĀ pursue is undeniablyĀ inĀ our self-interest.ā€

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