Keir Starmer scrambles as he issues major Iran update

Responding to Shabana Mahmood’s announcement on immigration reforms, Reform UK’s Shadow Home Secretary Zia Yusuf accused her of kicking the British taxpayer in the teeth.

He said: "Nearly 200,000 illegal migrants have arrived from France over the past eight years because the Tories and Labour treat Britain like a global food bank, paid for by British taxpayers.

"Now Labour is making it worse, offering a staggering £40,000 for illegals to leave voluntarily. It’s a disgrace. Only Reform will detain and deport every illegal migrant and end welfare handouts for foreign nationals."

Kemi Badenoch warned that Sir Keir Starmer is doing "too little, too late".

The Tory leader wrote on X: "Italy, Spain, the Netherlands are sending ships to defend Cyprus. HMS Dragon won’t leave Portsmouth for a week. It can’t shoot down Iran’s drones from The Channel. Our bases and allies are under attack. We must act in our national interest."

The Lib Dems hit out at Sir Keir Starmer for not addressing fears over rising energy bills in his press conference.

Leader Sir Ed Davey said: “It’s right that we do all we can to protect British citizens and our brave Armed Forces who are now in the firing line of Donald Trump’s illegal war.

“But it is deeply disappointing that the Prime Minister had nothing to say to the millions of families and pensioners who now fear that heating costs could rise by hundreds of pounds.

“We will keep pressing for a cast-iron guarantee that struggling British people won’t pay the costs of Trump’s war through their energy bills.”

Sir Keir Starmer has claimed that the US did not request to use the Diego Garcia base for strikes until Saturday afternoon.

Speaking in London he said: "No request from the US came in the specific terms that we acceded until Saturday afternoon, therefore, on Friday, there was no concrete decision to be made."

But reports say that Ed Miliband pushed to block British intervention in the strikes, including the use of US bases, on Friday.

"We don't yet know how long this will last," Sir Keir Starmer has said in response to a question from a journalist. He confirms he last spoke to US President Donald Trump last Saturday.

"The special relationship is in operation right now", claims Sir Keir, deflecting accusations from critics that he has harmed it. He mentions US bases being used to launch attacks in the region, bases held in partnership with the UK.

Sir Keir has been asked about President Trump claiming the conflict could go on for three to four weeks, asking how long the Prime Minister believes the war could go on for. A journalist also asks about the Cyprus base attack, which saw the base left undefended when it was struck by Iranian drones.

The Prime Minister says that his first priority is the protection of British citizens. "There are protective measures in place" he adds, and that they have "always been in place". He says again that he "predeployed" assets to the region weeks ago.

He says that he accepts people will be worried about the conflict, but does not answer how long he thinks the war will go on for.

Sir Keir Starmer claims the UK started "pre-deploying to the region in January/February" which he claims was being done in conjunction with the United States.

He suggested that it was "pre-planning".

Sir Keir Starmer has said that some people will "try and use [Iran] to divide us" as he says he has reached out to Jewish and Muslim communities since the war began.

He urges the country to come together - saying that people stranded in the region come from all backgrounds as do the armed forces defending them.

"This conflict could continue for some time," he adds, saying "we will do everything we can to protect British lives."

Additional charter flights will be laid on in the coming days, the Prime Minister has confirmed. The Prime Minister is speaking in Downing Street and has also said that the charter confirmed earlier this week has just taken off.

"We will not stop until our people are safe," he adds.

Four additional typhoon jets are being sent to Qatar to "strengthen our defensive operations in Qatar and cross the region" the Prime Minister has announced.

It comes after helicopters with anti-drone technology were sent to Cyrus earlier in the week, and the HMS Dragon was ordered to the region.

"We will maintain this shield over British people in the region," he adds, confirming that they are working as hard as possible to get people out.

Sir Keir Starmer stands by his decision to not join the initial attacks by the US and Israel, saying it was not in the national interest.

But the situation has changed, he says, after Iran fired at "allies of the UK" in the region where British citizens live, as well as UK troops are stationed.

"I know that people are worried sick about their family and friends that are caught up in this" says Sir Keir as he starts his statement.

"I want to reassure the British public about the action that we are taking" he adds, saying that his focus is on providing leadership in the national interest.

He says he is focused on deploying military assets to defend british interests and citizens in the region.

Sir Keir writes on social media: "I know that the situation in the Middle East is worrying for people across the UK and in the region.

"This afternoon, I’ll be giving an update on the action we continue to take to protect lives and bring British nationals back home."

The Prime Minister is expected to speak shortly, he will take questions from reporters on the ongoing Iran war.

He will provide updates on the UK military involvement in the region, as well as potentially speaking more on the status of evacuations of UK citizens.

Sir Keir announced earlier this week that the HMS Dragon will be sent to Iran, but will not leave until next week - leaving Cyprus effectively undefended by the Royal Navy.

YouGov reports "only 8% of Britons think the UK should be actively joining the US-Israeli attack on Iran". The leading pollster found:

The Prime Minister will deliver a message targeted at multiple audiences when he steps in front of the cameras very shortly.

He needs to convince you, the voters who will go to the polls in May, that he is not dithering at a time of crisis, now that he no longer has his top adviser Morgan McSweeney by his side or Peter Mandelson in Washington DC.

He needs to send a message out to a military which has seen its strength shrink that Britain understands the scale of threats it faces and that it will not step back from its responsibilities.

He needs to convince allies that the UK has not gone AWOL but will help defend their security against vicious foes. We are still the friend you want by your side.

And he needs to leave Britain's foes, whether in the Kremlin, Tehran or further afield, we are not a weak, floundering nation with myriad weaknesses there to be exploited.

This is the challenge facing Sir Keir Starmer on a sunny afternoon in London. Events which could reverberate for centuries are unfolding in the Middle East and the PM must prove the UK is not a bewildered bystander.

The Defence Secretary, John Healey, is currently in Cyprus as tensions grow over the United Kingdom's response to drone attacks on the island from Iran.

Mr Healey’s arrival comes as Britain has been facing criticism for failing to have enough military assets in the Middle East after RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was hit by a drone.

Sir Keir Starmer will speak at a press conference at Number 10 Downing Street. Called at short notice today the Prime Minister is expected to speak about the Iran crisis. The Daily Express will bring you all the latest here, and David Williamson is on the scene.

Speaking at the launch of Reform UK's Welsh manifesto, Nigel Farage gave a scathing account of Sir Keir Starmer's leadership on the Iran crisis. He said:

Sir Keir Starmer will give an update on the unfolding situation in the Middle East this afternoon.

He has come under fierce criticism from Nigel Farage this morning, who said: "[If] there was one big justifiable reason why we should have supported the Americans and supported the Israelis on day one—if this war stops Iran getting a nuclear bomb, it will have been worth it."

Daily Express Home Affairs & Defence Editor Michael Knowles asks the Home Secretary how she plans to increase the number of removals of small boat migrants, who are notoriously hard to deport.

She says the UK has "the highest rate of removals in a decade or more" and adds that there are "some barriers" to the process as countries can be considered unsafe.

Ms Mahmood says she would not deport people to unsafe nations, adding that is "the difference between us and what is on offer from other political parties".

The Home Secretary will not instruct the Met Police to srtop the Al-Quds march next weekend. She deflects the question and says it is an operational matter for the police.

In a staggering moment, Shabana Mahmood has said that under a 'hard-right' government "those who have been here for decades, legally with settled status, will suddenly hear a knock on their door one night, bundled into the back of a van, separated from children and grandchildren and deported from this country that they have made home."

She opens fire on Reform saying that there was no way of achieving deportations to such a scale they want "sending people back to a country that is not safe, and where upon return they could be killed".

Ms Mahmood suggests that failing on migration would lead to "the idea of a greater Britain [giving] way to the lure of a littler England [...] voices to the hard right take hold. If the left do not secure our borders the hard-right will be given the chance to try."

"I know the people of this country are open, tolerant and generous" says Ms Mahmood.

She adds that when people see the scale of small boat crossings people feel a loss of control, which breeds fear and "when fearful, people turn inwards. Their vision of this country narrows and their patriotism becomes smaller, something darker. Ethno-nationalism emerges."

Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan will now face new visa sanctions as "abuse has been high" in those countries, the Home Secretary confirms. It follows other sanctions she announced last week as part of government attempts to crack down on abuse of the visa system.

"The generosity of the British people will become conditional" the Home Secretary says, and will depend on asylum seekers following the law.

She adds: "British taxpayers cannot be expected to fund the lives of people who have decided to move there."

Migration rule changes will come into affect this month, Mahmood confirms.

"We must restore fairness to our migration system" she confirms, adding that the UK will always offer shelter to genuine refugees. She highlights that the UK has homed Hong Kongers and Ukrainians, as she announces a new refugee safe and legal route for students, and soon another for workers.

There must be a path to settlement and citizenship to those who come here legally with the intention to contribute, says Mahmood. She is calling for the qualifying period for settlement to be doubled, from 5 to 10 years.

Migrants must have ancestry of working and paying tax, a higher standard of English and no criminal record, she confirms.

The pressure on the taxpayer "is vast" adds the Home Secretary. "Hard working people across this country engaged in a daily struggle to make ends meet" are watching the state fail to stop dinghy in the channel whilst also putting illegals into hotels.

She says "it doesn't look fair, because it is not fair".

Mahmood says we must be "honest about the scale" of low skilled migration. She adds that the UK has never had so much low skilled immigration in such a short period of time, which she blasts an "affront" to the principles of fairness she is pushing for.

Migration levels must be "first and foremost" fair. She says that fairness must be to working class communities as well as those seeking a better life. She adds that the asylum system must not be abused by people smugglers - and brands rival parties, the Green Party and the Reform Party as 'extremes'.

Ms Mahmood says that the values of "fairness" and a "recognition that the dice are loaded against working class communities" needs to be accepted. She adds that "rights flow from our responsibility to one another".

Shabana Mahmood opens her speech saying she will set out what the government is doing on asylum.

She says "it is a time when who we are, and what we stand for, is contested - sometimes bitterly."

Ms Mahmood adds that she has been told "be more Labour" on the issue, and that she agrees.

"More Labour doesn't mean more green, just like more Labour doesn't mean more Reform," she says it means "understanding the Labour party has always been a broad church."

Shabana Mahmood has been blasted by Zia Yusuf of Reform who said: "So, Labour went to Denmark, worked out illegal migrants need a deterrent to stop them coming here and they announce that those that come here illegally will now win £40,000."

He was reference newly announced plans that could see migrant families handed thousands to leave the country.

Shabana Mahmood is about to speak in central London. Express Home Affairs & Defence Editor Michael Knowles is at the speech.

We'll have all the ongoing updates here as the speech is delivered.

A stranded Briton who was expected to be on the now-delayed UK government flight from Oman last night has slammed the holdup as a 'farce'.

The passenger reportedly said: "We've been transferred to a hotel and it's expected to depart later today. It's a total farce."

Speaking to the BBC another added it had been "very difficult".

Asylum seekers who commit crimes will be booted out of asylum accommodation and stripped of their cash handouts, under new plans.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will revoke European laws to automatically provide arrivals with support.

From June, the help will become “conditional” and only given to those “who genuinely need it and follow the law”.

Those who work in Britain’s black economy will also be thrown out of hotels, houses, flats and bedsits funded by taxpayers, alongside foreign criminals and those refusing to leave the UK voluntarily.

Some 30,000 migrants could lose their support, officials predicted.

Ms Mahmood, during a visit to Denmark, revealed migrants’ right to permanent asylum will be scrapped.

Instead, they will be offered temporary status, which will be reviewed every 30 months.

If their country is deemed safe enough for them to return, they will be sent back. Only children who arrive in the UK unaccompanied will be exempt.

And, in a speech on Thursday, Ms Mahmood will declare her reforms will create a “firm but fair” asylum system.

Until now, successful asylum seekers have been granted refugee status for five years and allowed to bring their families to the UK. They then got almost automatic fee-free permanent settlement with continued access to benefits and housing.

Refugees will also be required to “earn” their settlement rights by working and contributing to society.

They will have to wait up to 20 years before they can apply to settle in the UK – and up to 30 years if they arrived illegally via small boats across the Channel or by claiming asylum after overstaying work, student or visitor visas.

The first chartered plane set to leave the Middle East to bring Britons home did not take off, the Times reports, with passengers describing scenes of panic at Muscat airport

Kemi Badenoch has said the UK should take offensive action against Iran after UK bases were attacked.

“We need to do what we can to stop the ability for these attacks to take place,” the Tory leader told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“I think that we should look at what our allies in the region are saying. Even if we’re not talking about Iran, Cyprus feels that we have not been helpful. It is extraordinary that Bahrain and Kuwait in the UAE are publicly criticising us…

“They think that we’re abandoning them.”

She continued: “If your principle is, we will only wait until we are attacked rather than dealing with imminent threats properly, then we will be in a lot of trouble.”

Asked about concern over her enthusiasm for British involvement in the bombing of Iran, Mrs Badenoch said: “Being realistic is not gung ho. I don’t want a wider war.

“But sometimes the best way to de-escalate a situation is to try and finish it quickly, rather than let it drag out because you don’t want to get involved.”

Defence Secretary John Healey is travelling to Cyprus amid the war between Iran and the US, the Press Association reports.

Mr Healey is expected to arrive on the Mediterranean island later on Thursday.

Britain’s base at RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus has been the target of drone attacks since the war began.

Britain’s private dentistry market is to be reviewed by the competition watchdog following an appeal from the Chancellor about concerns over hidden costs and practices in the sector.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was carrying out a market study of the £8 billion sector, covering essential care and cosmetic treatments, and has put out a call for feedback from consumers and dentists.

Rachel Reeves urged the CMA last November to launch a review of private dentistry in a bid to ease the cost of living.

The Chancellor cited concerns about hidden costs, overtreatment and lack of information for patients.

An extraordinary account of massive rows at the very top of the government has been published in the Spectator. Their Political Editor, Tim Shipman, says Keir Starmer wanted to support the US assault on Iran, but was forced to change his policy by Cabinet colleagues.

Shipman writes:  When the crunch came, in a National Security Council (NSC) meeting on Friday, the Prime Minister was not able to carry his own cabinet. While he did not want Britain to join the military action, he did think there was a case for allowing Trump to use the bases at Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford to launch the attacks. However, he was blocked by an alliance of Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary."

He adds: "Security sources are clear that Miliband, in particular, took a ‘petulant, pacifist, legalistic and very political’ approach, questioning why the UK should support the US."

Today's big speech by the Home Secretary is an attempt to convince Labour MPs to back her immigration reforms.

She will argue that Labour cannot follow the example of the Green Party and abandon efforts to control immigration.

And she will attempt to scare Labour MPs by warning that being soft on immigration will only make Nigel Farage and Reform more popular.

Ms Mahmood will say: “When people see small boat arrivals, at their current scale or they feel the pace and scale of migration today, they feel like we have lost control.

"A loss of control breeds fear and when fearful, people turn inwards. Their vision of this country narrows. Their patriotism turns into something smaller, something darker, an ethno-nationalism emerges.

"The idea of a greater Britain gives way to the lure of a littler England. And other voices – voices to the far right – take hold.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s Government has continued to defend the status of the special relationship with the US after a series of attacks from President Donald Trump.

And Cyprus said that a British presence is “the least we expect” as a warship being readied to protect the British base there is not set to sail until next week.

The US-Israeli war on Iran has entered its sixth day as flights carrying Britons left stranded in the Middle East amid the conflict are due to arrive in the UK.

The first Government rescue flight and British Airways commercial flight from Muscat were expected to land in the UK early on Thursday.

But a technical issue at the airport in Oman prevented the first chartered plane from taking off as planned.

It is now expected to take off later on Thursday.

It comes after the US and Israel intensified their bombing attacks against Iran’s military and security apparatus.

Under the proposed plans, people granted asylum in the UK will have their refugee status reviewed every 30 months.

Under current rules, those granted refugee status have it for five years and can apply for indefinite leave to remain and get on a route to citizenship.

It comes after Ms Mahmood visited Denmark, where a social democratic-led government has drastically reduced the number of asylum applications to the lowest number in 40 years and removed 95% of rejected asylum seekers.

She has made little secret of her admiration for the approach, and will say her reforms will offer “a compassionate but controlled asylum system. Firm, but fair”.

Labour should tread a path between Reform UK and the Greens, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will warn as she makes the case for a “firm but fair” asylum system.

Ms Mahmood will say “Labour values are at the heart of my migration reforms” as she urges her party not to shift leftwards after its resounding defeat in the Gorton and Denton by-election.

On Thursday, she will outline the case for a position between Reform leader Nigel Farage’s “nightmare pulling up the drawbridge and shutting out the world” and Green Party leader Zack Polanski’s “fairy tale of open borders”.

Ms Mahmood, who faces the prospect of a backbench revolt, will argue that migration reforms are the “embodiment” of Labour values.

Asylum seekers who commit crimes will be booted out of asylum accommodation and stripped of their cash handouts, under new plans.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will revoke European laws to automatically provide arrivals with support.

From June, the handouts will become “conditional” and only given to those “who genuinely need it and follow the law”.

Those who work in Britain’s black economy will also be thrown out of hotels, houses, flats and bedsits funded by taxpayers, alongside foreign criminals and those refusing to leave the UK voluntarily.

Read the full story here