More than 100,000 UK nationals have been evacuated from the Middle East since the conflict with Iran began, the foreign secretary announced on Tuesday. Yvette Cooper told parliament that this figure represents a third of the 300,000 Britons who were in the region at the start of hostilities, many of whom were stranded when airspace closed. The evacuees include tourists and Gulf residents who have temporarily left.
MPs urged Cooper to assist British citizens still stuck in the region and those struggling to extend visas in countries where they were holidaying before US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Cooper also updated parliament on Britain's role in discussions about an international coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which she described as “separate from the conflict”. She said the focus is on practical measures to restore shipping as the conflict subsides, preventing Iran from “holding hostage the global economy”.
Britain is in talks with European allies including Germany, Italy and France, as well as the US and Gulf states, about the way forward. Cooper emphasised that multiple nations must be involved in planning, based on “serious, expert military and commercial assessments”. Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel pressed Cooper on specific commitments to Gulf states for protecting British bases and allies, noting that “Britain cannot stand by while our allies do the heavy lifting”. Cooper replied that the UK is providing “direct military defensive support”, including F35 and Typhoon aircraft.
In a wide-ranging statement, Cooper condemned the killing of a Palestinian family by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, settler expansion, and warned that Lebanon is “on the precipice of a widening conflict”. She announced an additional £10 million in humanitarian support for emergency medical care and shelter in Lebanon and the region. When asked about US President Donald Trump's reliability, Cooper said the focus should be on “the substance of that relationship and the real issues, not on rhetoric or statements”.
