Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer says that deciding whether to deploy UK troops is the toughest question for any prime minister according to BBC.
He continues by saying if he’s going to send troops into harm’s way, they deserve to know they can do so on a legal basis with a “properly thought out plan”.
Starmer continues to describe how he sees his leadership, saying it is “about standing firm for the British interest, no matter the pressure”.
“I believe time will show that we have the right approach,” he adds, before opening the floor to questions.
I have ‘a good relationship’ with Trump —Starmer
Starmer is asked about whether he will commit to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open following Trump’s request for support in securing the shipping route.
The prime minister says he spoke with President Trump on the phone yesterday.
There have been discussions on a viable plan, he says, but adds it’s not easy or straightforward.
A reporter then asks Starmer how he would rank his relationship with Trump from zero to 10.
He says “it’s a good relationship” and adds they had “a good discussion yesterday about the Straits”. “We are strong allies; have been for decades.”
“But it is for me to act in what I consider to be the best interest of Britain,” Starmer adds.
“If you’re prime minister, you don’t get to come back a week later and say – oops I made a mistake about that war, can I back out of it now?”
War in Middle East cannot be allowed to become a windfall for Putin
The prime minister gives an update on the UK’s activities in the Middle East, saying over 92,000 British nationals have returned to the country on commercial and government charter flight.
Work is continuing to support British citizens in Lebanon, Starmer says.
The UK has “thousands of service men and women in Cyprus”, three squadrons of fighter jets and counter-drone teams to help intercept Iranian attacks, he adds.
Turning to UK diplomatic efforts, Starmer says Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has been in the region in recent days. Starmer says he has met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this morning and will be meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky soon.
“It’s vital that we continue to focus on supporting Ukraine,” he says, adding that the war in the Middle East cannot be allowed to become “a windfall for Putin”.