Flight evacuating British nationals from Israel has departed, says Foreign Office – UK politics live | Politics
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- June 23, 2025
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Lammy: government ‘working around the clock’ to secure more evacuation flights from Israel
An RAF flight for vulnerable British nationals and their families left Tel Aviv for Cyprus earlier on Monday, PA Media reports the Foreign Office said.
Further flights will be arranged based on “demand and the latest security situation”.
Foreign secretary David Lammy said: “Throughout the crisis, the safety of British Nationals in the region has been our top priority. That is why the UK Government is working with the Israeli authorities to arrange RAF and charter flights to help those wanting to leave.”
“Today’s flight will bring British nationals and their dependents safely back to the UK. While the situation in the Middle East remains volatile, we are working around the clock to secure more flights and bring more people home.”
The Government used an RAF A-400M aircraft for the flight from Tel Aviv to Cyprus – with passengers due to transfer on to a civilian charter aircraft for the onwards journey to the UK this afternoon.
British nationals still in Israel are being urged to register their presence with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Key events
Jessica Elgot
The assisted dying bill has had its first reading in the House of Lords on Monday, after passing the Commons on Friday.
The first reading does not include any debate – the name of the bill is read out in the Chamber and it will be at the bill’s second reading that peers get a chance to debate the bill for the first time.
Oppponents of the bill have vowed to attempt to use procedural devices to block it. If it does not pass through the Lords by next May, it will likely fall as the end of the parliamentary session.
The Labour peer Charlie Falconer, who is expected to take the lead on the legislation in the House of Lords has said he expects the bill to pass. He introduced a similar bill in 2014 for which the Lords voted in favour, though there have been many new peers created as well as departures.
Downing Street said “around 1,000” people had requested a seat on an evacuation flight, a quarter of the 4,000 who had registered their presence in Israel or Palestine with the Foreign Office.
One British national has been injured in Israel during missile attacks by Iran, Lammy told MPs earlier.
In a statement to the Commons, the foreign secretary said: “This is a perilous moment in the Middle East, waves of strikes between Israel and Iran have now lasted for 10 days, continuing overnight.
“I know the whole House will have in their thoughts the many civilians impacted by the fighting. I can confirm today, this includes one British national, injured in Israel. We’ve reached out to offer consular support.”
British nationals told to ‘shelter in place’ in Qatar
The UK’s foreign, commonwealth and development Office (FCDO) has updated its travel advice for Qatar to recommend British nationals in the Gulf state “shelter in place”.
In an update to the page, the FCDO said: “Following a US security alert for US nationals in Qatar, out of an abundance of caution, we recommend that British nationals in Qatar shelter in place until further notice. Follow instructions from local authorities.
“The FCDO is in contact with local authorities and international partners, and will provide further updates as the situation develops.”
More than 4,000 British nationals have “registered their interests” following a UK Government appeal, David Lammy said.
Conservative shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel told the Commons: “British nationals and dual-nationals continue to be stranded in Israel and the Middle East due to airspace closures. Now, I’ve written to the Foreign Secretary about this matter and note the progress with today’s flight, and I do want to thank the Foreign Office for the work they’ve been doing with many families who I’ve been in touch with as well, who have been able to get on that flight today.
“So, can the Foreign Secretary tell us how many British nationals may need to be repatriated?”
Dame Priti later added: “Why does it seem that the US and other European countries were ahead of us in their operational planning to bring back their citizens?”
Responding, the foreign secretary said: “There are just over 4,000 British nationals that have registered their interests following our appeal last week, and we would estimate that somewhere between 15-25% of them indicate – this is following a pattern in previous crises in Israel and in the region – take up the offer of British assistance to leave.
“As she knows, the airspace has been closed and so that offer up until this point was about getting them to the border, but I’m very pleased that that flight has landed and taken off. We hope to work with the Israeli government on further flights in the area.”
Force protection in the Middle East “is at its highest levels”, David Lammy told the Commons.
He said: “My message for Tehran was clear, take the off ramp, dial this thing down, and negotiate with the United States seriously and immediately.
“The alternative is an even more destructive and far-reaching conflict, which could have unpredictable consequences.
“The situation presents serious risk to British interests in the region, having moved in additional assets on a precautionary basis, force protection is at its highest levels. Be in no doubt, we are prepared to defend our personnel, our assets and those of our allies and partners.
“We are closely monitoring how energy markets are responding to the conflict, and we have been extremely clear with the Iranians, any action to blockade the Strait of Hormuz would be a monumental act of economic self-harm, making a diplomatic solution even harder.”
The foreign secretary also said the government recommends “that British nationals in Qatar shelter in place until further notice”.
David Lammy earlier confirmed that the RAF has evacuated 63 British nationals from Israel.
He also urged British nationals to register with the Foreign Office, and said further updates would be sent to them.
The government has withdrawn staff from its embassy in Iran, David Lammy told MPs.
Staff were evacuated from the centre in the capital Tehran on Friday, and the embassy is now operating “remotely”, Lammy said, adding it was a temporary move.
The foreign secretary said: “Our ability to support British nationals still in Iran is extremely limited.
“The House will know the Foreign Office has advised against travel to Iran since 2019. Those seeking to cross through its land crossings can contact the FCDO for assistance.
Summary of the day so far …
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An RAF flight for vulnerable British nationals and their families left Tel Aviv for Cyprus earlier on Monday. Further flights will be arranged based on “demand and the latest security situation”. Foreign secretary David Lammy said the government was “working round the clock” to secure more flights
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The home secretary has said she will ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws, ignoring a warning from the group’s solicitors that the proposal was “unlawful, dangerous and ill thought out”. Yvette Cooper said a draft proscription order would be laid in parliament on 30 June. The Green party of England and Wales MP Ellie Chowns described the plans as as “a shocking overreaction to a couple of protesters using paint”
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Lammy has been criticised after repeatedly refusing to say whether the UK government believes the US acted legally when it carried out strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. Asked on the BBC Radio 4 programme if the airstrikes were legal, Lammy said three times it was for Washington to answer such questions. Former foreign secretary and Conservative MP James Cleverly described the exchanges as “excruitiating”. Chancellor Rachel Reeves, armed forces minister Luke Pollard, and a Downing Street spokesperson all similarly said it was a matter for the US
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First minister of Scotland John Swinney has said he is “concerned” the UK could be drawn into the escalating conflict in the Middle East
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The government is to slash green levies on thousands of businesses, in an effort to bring down sky-high energy costs for firms and boost the manufacturing sector in Labour heartlands, a key plank of the long-awaited industrial strategy, a 10-year plan to boost sectors ranging from the creative industries to manufacturing
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Health secretar Wes Streeting has launched a national investigation into “systemic” failures in NHS maternity services in England, saying “maternity units are failing, hospitals are failing, trusts are failing, regulators are failing” and there was “too much passing the buck”
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Nigel Farage outlined a Reform UK policy which he said would attract wealthy individuals to the UK by charging them a £250,000 fee for 10 years of residency and a special tax regime. Reeves described it as a “huge tax giveaway to foreign billionaires” and “worse than a gimmick”
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Kemi Badenoch has said that the Conservatives she leads are the “adults in the room” in British politics, as she sought to put distance between her party and Farage’s Reform UK vehicle, who she derided as “not serious”
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King Charles has met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Windsor Castle
That is it from me Martin Belam for today. All being well I should be with you again tomorrow. I am handing the blog over to Nadeem Badshah now.
Lammy: government ‘working around the clock’ to secure more evacuation flights from Israel
An RAF flight for vulnerable British nationals and their families left Tel Aviv for Cyprus earlier on Monday, PA Media reports the Foreign Office said.
Further flights will be arranged based on “demand and the latest security situation”.
Foreign secretary David Lammy said: “Throughout the crisis, the safety of British Nationals in the region has been our top priority. That is why the UK Government is working with the Israeli authorities to arrange RAF and charter flights to help those wanting to leave.”
“Today’s flight will bring British nationals and their dependents safely back to the UK. While the situation in the Middle East remains volatile, we are working around the clock to secure more flights and bring more people home.”
The Government used an RAF A-400M aircraft for the flight from Tel Aviv to Cyprus – with passengers due to transfer on to a civilian charter aircraft for the onwards journey to the UK this afternoon.
British nationals still in Israel are being urged to register their presence with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
An Executive decision to proceed with the A5 road upgrade has been quashed at the high court in Belfast.
Mr Justice McAlinden told the court that he was aware his ruling would bring “fresh anguish” to the families of those who had lost loved ones on the road, but he said the proposed scheme breached elements of the Climate Change Act 2022.
Infrastructure minister Liz Kimmins (Sinn Féin) said it was an “extremely disappointing day”.
The Northern Ireland Executive gave the green light for the long-awaited upgrade to the A5 in October. There have been more than 50 deaths on the A5, which links Derry with Aughnacloy in Co Tyrone, since 2006.
Posting to social media, Jim Allister, leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice party and MP for North Antrim, said “Many of those politicians lamenting this outcome should reflect on their own folly in voting through the Climate Change Act and its absurd targets and demands.”
The SDLP MP for Foyle, Colum Eastwood, described the project proposal as “one of the most important infrastructure projects on this island by any measure” and said he was “so disappointed for people who have lost loved ones on that road today.”
Foreign Office says a flight evacuating British nationals from Israel has departed
Reuters has a quick snap that the Foreign Office has said a flight evacuating British nationals from Israel has departed. Foreign secretary David Lammy said further flights would follow in the coming days.
More details soon …
Tracy Brabin, the mayor of West Yorkshire, has said she welcomed Wes Streeting’s announcement of an investigation into maternity services in England.
The former Batley and Spen MP, who has held the post of mayor since it was created in 2021, said in a post to social media “I welcome this urgent inquiry from Wes Streeting to ensure pregnant women and babies always receive the best possible care. Where families have been failed, answers must be forthcoming. I have met with Leeds hospitals and will hold them to account on their plan to improve.”
Badenoch: the Conservative party are ‘the adults in the room’
Kemi Badenoch has said that the Conservatives she leads are the “adults in the room” in British politics, as she sought to put distance between her party and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK vehicle, who she derided as “not serious”.
Speaking at a Policy Exchange event
We are not Reform, and we will never be Reform. Reform is a party that tells people whatever it is they want to hear to get elected. That is how we got ourselves into the mess we are in now.
We said we were going to do things and then we didn’t deliver them, because we had not thought about how we would do so and what the consequences would be, immigration being a classic example, where it was just something we’d work out later.
And you look at the things [Reform UK] are promising, unworkable policies. They want to increase the child benefit cap. They want to nationalise steel … they want to raise the personal allowance to £20,000. They haven’t figured out how to pay for all of it.
This is not serious. Somebody has to be the adult in the room. We are the adults in the room, and sometimes it is not popular to be the adults in the room.
Sometimes, you know, people only want to hear about how we’re going to have candy and sweets. That’s not what we’re going to do. We’re going to have a plan to fix so many of these things.
Badenoch, who is MP for North West Essex, was a government minister under both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, from September 2022 until July 2024.
Haroon Siddique
Haroon Siddique is the Guardian’s legal affairs correspondent, and has this report on the government’s decision to ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws
Home secretary Yvette Cooper said a draft proscription order would be laid in parliament on 30 June. If passed, it would make it illegal to be a member of, or invite support for, Palestine Action.
The group, founded in 2020, says it aims to prevent the commission of genocide and war crimes in Palestine and to expose and target property and premises connected to such crimes against humanity.
Many of its activists have been acquitted by juries in the past and a letter from Kellys Solicitors, representing Palestine Action, sent to Cooper on Monday said the group “has gathered a significant level of public support”.
The letter to Cooper from Kellys, shared exclusively with the Guardian, said there were no previous instances of direct action protest organisations being proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000, despite several others having used comparable methods to Palestine Action, and that it was a “terrifying precedent” to place it alongside groups such as Islamic State, al-Qaida or National Action.
It said: “Whilst some actions of those associated with Palestine Action have involved damage to property, activists do not advocate or intend unlawful violence against the person. A significant number of actions associated with Palestine Action have used entirely conventional campaigning methods such as marches, rallies and demos. It is an authoritarian turn and an abuse of language to label them as a ‘terrorist’ organisation …
“The proposal to proscribe Palestine Action is wholly unprecedented and constitutes an unlawful, dangerous and ill-thought-out attack on freedom of expression and assembly.”
My colleague Jasper Jolly has produced this explainer on the industrial strategy document published by the government today.
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss how Keir Starmer’s government is responding to the US president’s decision to launch attacks on Iranian nuclear sites in Politics Weekly UK, which you can listen to here.
Kemi Badenoch has taken aim at the assisted dying bill again. This time, the Tory leader is upset about the way the bill is moving through parliament, saying it is “thoughtless” and driven by narcissism at a Policy Exchange event.
I have always been a supporter of assisted dying in principle. I had a great-aunt who died in the most horrific way … but you look at the way that this bill has been drafted, rushed through, the way the committees have been selected, the dropping of the safeguards, and it’s all done in such a way just to shove things through and in a thoughtless manner.
There is too much thoughtlessness in our legislative procedure. There are too many people who are creating laws so they can put something on social media and say ‘I did this’, rather than look at the ramifications of what the legislation that they’re putting through are going to have.”
Earlier in June, MPs voted 314 to 291 in favour of allowing adults with a terminal illness and less than six months left to live to receive medical assistance to end their lives.
Badenoch also had it in for net zero, “a 90-minute debate that has cost us hundreds of billions of pounds, and nobody even had a chance to vote on it,” she says, adding that she wishes she were in show business rather than politics. “How do I get myself on TV?” she asked.
Well, in November, she might have her chance to follow in Edwina Curry and Matt Hancock’s footsteps when I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! returns to our screens.
Scotland’s first minister concerned UK could be drawn into Iran conflict
First minister of Scotland John Swinney has said he is “concerned” the UK could be drawn into the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Speaking during a visit to a school in Glasgow on Monday, Swinney urged the international community to find a resolution.
“I share the concerns of Scots about the events in Iran over the weekend,” he said.
“To wake up to what we woke up to yesterday morning is very, very frightening and alarming, and I don’t think any of us should underestimate the significance and the severity of the situation that we face.”
He added: “That’s why I have made a strong plea for every resource of the international community to be deployed to de-escalate the situation and to get the world to step back from the brink.”
Swinney encouraged the UK government to “put all of their weight” behind diplomatic efforts to stem the conflict.
Asked if he was concerned about British involvement in the conflict, he said: “There’s obviously the potential for this to have very wide-ranging implications, and they could involve the UK. So, of course, I’m concerned about that point.
“I think we need to step back, to find a negotiated settlement to the issues that have been raised and to avoid any further escalation, which will simply increase the severity and the significance of the dangers that we all face.”
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