Sir Keir Starmer is set to travel to the Middle East today to meet allies following Donald Trump’s last-minute ceasefire with Iran.
Last night, the US President confirmed he would hold off on wiping out the country for two weeks, with Israel agreeing to do the same, barring its attacks on Lebanon.
Now, this morning, as he readies himself to jet off to the region, the Prime Minister vowed Britain would “do all we can to support and sustain this ceasefire.”
Sir Keir added: “I welcome the ceasefire agreement reached overnight, which will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world.
“Together with out partners we must do all we can to support and sustain this ceasefire, turn it into a lasting agreement and re-open the Strait of Hormuz.”
In a meeting with leaders across the Middle East, the PM will double down on support for a “diplomatic and lasting” resolution to the conflict engulfing the region since the end of February.
Sir Keir’s first stop on his trip abroad will be to “thank the UK and local personnel who have bravely put their lives at risk in the defence of our people”, No10 said.
No10 will lead talks to ensure the permanent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz – a key maritime passage blockaded by Iran, sending fuel prices soaring and subsequently causing a headache for both Rachel Reeves and Ed Miliband.
FOLLOW ALONG FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY…
- 14 minutes agoMore than half of Britons oppose resident doctors’ strike action amid six-day walkout, poll reveals
- about 1 hour ago‘We got things wrong!’ Top Tory stresses party ‘changing our behaviour’ after lax defence spending
- about 2 hours ago‘Not fair to say we have not been there in defensive role’, Policing Minister tells GB News
- about 2 hours ago‘Where was he when Cyprus was attacked?!’ Ellie Costello grills Labour minister over PM’s ‘lacklustre’ Iran response
- about 3 hours agoKemi Badenoch accuses Labour of being ‘soft on unions’ as leader promises to ban doctor strikes
- about 3 hours agoKeir Starmer’s trip to Gulf planned ahead of ceasefire deal announcement
- about 3 hours agoPM has ‘cost Britain its credibility on the world stage’, Sir James Cleverly tells GB News
- about 4 hours agoKeir Starmer blasted for ‘indecision’ and leaving allies ‘disappointed’ over Iran war
- about 4 hours agoGlobal oil prices plummet following US-Iran ceasefire announcement
- about 4 hours agoTories vow to BAN four-day work weeks on full pay
- about 4 hours agoWhat is happening in UK politics today?
More than half of Britons oppose resident doctors’ strike action amid six-day walkout, poll reveals
More than half of Britons have opposed resident doctors being allowed to strike, a new poll has found.
The YouGov data was collected during the medics’ first day of their six-day walkout – their 15th in three years at the cost of £30million for the taxpayer.
Some 37 per cent, on the other hand, claim they “somewhat” or “strongly” support the action.
‘We got things wrong!’ Top Tory stresses party ‘changing our behaviour’ after lax defence spending
Sir James Cleverly has admitted the Conservative Party “got things wrong” in its defence spending policy while in Government.
Speaking to GB News, the Tory Shadow Housing Minister stressed they were “changing our behaviour” as he hit out at Labour’s own management of the nation’s Armed Forces.
“Kemi (Badenoch) has made it clear that when we got things wrong during our time in government, we will recognise that and we will make sure we do things differently.
“We recognise that we could and indeed should have perhaps spent more on defence,” Sir James said.
‘Not fair to say we have not been there in defensive role’, Policing Minister tells GB News
Policing Minister Sarah Jones has told GB News it is “not fair” to suggest the UK has not adequately defended its citizens.
Speaking on GB News, the Labour MP admitted Britain needed to be “much better at war readiness” , as outlined in the Strategic Defence Review.
“We are investing £270billion this Parliament,” she said. “In our defence, that is the highest figure any time since the Cold War.”
Ms Jones added: “We are clearing up the mess that we were left with.
“But it is not fair to say that we have not been there in that defensive role, because we have and also we have been playing a leadership role, doing the work with our 40 allies to work out how we can open the Strait of Hormuz in a way that is safe.”
WATCH SARAH JONES ON GB NEWS ABOVE.
‘Where was he when Cyprus was attacked?!’ Ellie Costello grills Labour minister over PM’s ‘lacklustre’ Iran response
GB News star Ellie Costello has grilled a Labour minister over the Prime Minister’s “lacklustre” response to the Iran war.
After it was announced Sir Keir Starmer would jet off to the Gulf to speak with allies following the last-minute ceasefire deal, Ellie questioned why No10 had not acted sooner.
“Why now? Where was he when Cyprus was attacked?” she questioned.
In response, Sarah Jones, Labour’s Policing Minister, told the People’s Channel: “The first thing to say is we welcome this ceasefire and we hope that the negotiations will go well and that we will end up with a peace where we can all get things back to normal.
“We have had a military presence in the region for the whole of the five and a half weeks of this conflict, as you know, not in any offensive role at all, but in a defensive role where we have been protecting our citizens and our allies and our interests.”
Kemi Badenoch accuses Labour of being ‘soft on unions’ as leader promises to ban doctor strikes
Kemi Badenoch has accused Labour of being “soft” on unions while the Tory leader has promised to ban doctor strikes if the Conservatives win power.
Yesterday, resident doctors kickstarted a six-day-long strike, marking their 15th mass strike over the course of a measly three years.
The North West Essex MP declared: “The Conservatives have had enough. If the BMA refuses to act reasonably, the Government must step in to ensure the safety of patients.
“That’s why I will ban resident doctors and consultants from going on strike – as we already do for the police and armed forces.
“We will reintroduce minimum service levels across the NHS, so that all patients know the NHS will always be there when they need it.”
Keir Starmer’s trip to Gulf planned ahead of ceasefire deal announcement
The Prime Minister’s upcoming trip to the Middle East was planned ahead of the ceasefire deal announcement, it is understood.
Last week, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper attended a virtual summit with world leaders to brainstorm ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite the ceasefire deal only being announced last night, Sir Keir Starmer was due to attend the region to speak with Gulf partners about the ongoing conflict before Donald Trump backed down from his threats on Iran.
PM has ‘cost Britain its credibility on the world stage’, Sir James Cleverly tells GB News
Sir James Cleverly joined GB News to rip into the Prime Minister’s response to the Iran war this morning.
The Shadow Communities Secretary declared Sir Keir’s response amid the spiralling conflict has “cost Britain its credibility on the world stage”.
WATCH THE TORIES’ RESPONSE ABOVE.
Keir Starmer blasted for ‘indecision’ and leaving allies ‘disappointed’ over Iran war
Sir Keir Starmer was blasted for his “indecision” and leaving friends and allies “disappointed” over the Iran war.
Speaking to GB News on the last-minute ceasefire deal, Sir James said: “Well, it’s not really news. The Prime Minister is desperately trying to regain some credibility.
“Having been slow and indecisive throughout this situation, he’s changed positions. He was opposing the United States using their own aircraft from British bases.
“Then he was in favour of it. He delayed the decision to deploy British naval assets. He left British military personnel and our allies in the region not properly defended, and now he’s finally engaging properly with this situation.
“Unfortunately, he has cost this country credibility on the world stage. And I know a lot of our friends and allies in the region and beyond are very disappointed in Britain’s response.
“And that is entirely because of decisions that Keir Starmer failed to make.”
Global oil prices plummet following US-Iran ceasefire announcement
Global oil prices have plummeted following the ceasefire between the US and Iran was announced last night.
Part of the deal reached included the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after its weeks’ long blockade send fuel costs soaring.
The price of standard Brent Crude dropped by around 13 per cent to $94.80 (£70.73) a barrel after the last-minute deal was announced.
Meanwhile, US-traded oil was more than 15 per cent lower at $95.75. Just before the conflict began, the oil cost around $70 a barrel.
Tories vow to BAN four-day work weeks on full pay
The Conservative Party has vowed to ditch four-day working weeks while on full pay, if they win the next election.
Shadow Communities Secretary Sir James Cleverly announced the legislation to ban public services from handing out full pay to those working for a part-time job.
He said: “Taxpayers should not be paying full rates for part-time services.”
What is happening in UK politics today?
Good morning and welcome to the GB News Politics blog. Here’s what is happening in Westminster and beyond today…
Resident doctors have entered their second day of six days of strike action in long-running dispute with the Government over their pay. The British Medical Assocation said last month that the latest offer received from Health Secretary Wes Streeting was inadequate.
Meanwhile, on the campaign trail ahead of the Local Elections, political parties will be gearing up for a series of press conferences to make their pitch to voters.
Later this morning, GB News will be joined by Labour’s Policing Minister Sarah Jones MP, Policing Minister as well as the Tories’ James Cleverly MP, Shadow Local Government Secretary.
Follow along for the latest.
