PM Keir Starmer urges British nationals in Israel to contact Foreign Office for evacuation flights

Keir Starmer has urged Britons to immediately make contact with the Foreign Office if any of the nationals are in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories at the moment. This comes after the UK Government began planning for emergency evacuation flights to safely bring British nationals back to the country amid the escalating Iran-Israel conflict.

Evacuation flights beginning early next week: Reports

The United States has now entered the Israel-Iran conflict with an armed response, hitting three nuclear facilities of Iran, which has worsened the situation. Amid this, Keir Starmer and the UK Government have taken note of the situation, and are working on starting evacuation flights early next week. “I urge all citizens to make contact with the Foreign Office so that we can facilitate whatever support is needed,” the UK Prime Minister was quoted as saying.

“Well, for British citizens, we’ve been saying for some time to register their presence. And so far as Israel is concerned, just as soon as we can get charter flights off, we will do so,” Keir Starmer continued.

Business Secretary Jonathon Reynolds was quoted telling Sky News on Sunday morning,“We are in active conversations about chartering aircraft to get people out.”

According to a PA reports, when asked if that will happen imminently, Reynolds said, “I believe our intention would be to do that as soon as possible, within hours, not days.”

On Sunday evening, Ireland’s deputy premier Simon Harris stated that 15 Irish citizens had already been evacuated from Israel amid the worsening situation between Iran and Israel.

Harris said the group of 15 Irish nationals will arrive in Ireland in the coming days after being evacuated with due assistance from the Austrian government. Meanwhile, the FCDO has warned British nationals not to make their way to the airport unless they are contacted, reports PA.