Politics latest: First UK evacuation flight from Middle East delayed as Starmer defends Trump relationship – UK Times

The Government is taking the war between Iran and the US “exceptionally seriously”, Mr Norris insisted, after Cyprus’s high commissioner to the UK appeared disappointed by Britain’s action to defend the island.

Home Office minister Alex Norris dded: “This is a very significant situation, one that has profound implications for our nation.

“Here, we’ve moved quickly. We will continue to work with our partners in the region in our collective self-defence.”

Sir Keir has told MPs the special relationship with Washington will endure after the US president lashed out at his initial refusal to allow British bases to be used for raids against Iran.

After Mr Trump said the Prime Minister was “not Winston Churchill”, Sir Keir said the bond with the US was not about “hanging on to President Trump’s latest words”.

He defended his decisions about the use of UK bases, saying the country needs to act “with clarity, with purpose, and with a cool head”.

In response to Iran’s retaliatory actions, Sir Keir has given the US permission to use British bases for the limited purpose of attacking missile launchers and infrastructure, but RAF jets have not been involved in striking Iran.

Western officials said on Wednesday that US bombers had not yet used Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean or RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, but that the UK was ready to accept them and that they were expected to arrive within the next few days.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said the UK and US are “close allies” but that the US has chosen a “different way”.

“The US has chosen a different way, and we have made an assessment, and it’s the right assessment, about not putting UK soldiers into an offensive situation that did not meet the legal threshold that we set in our own country,” he told ITV’s Peston.

The arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport was deserted in the early hours of Thursday morning, as many stranded Britons thought to be landing at around 4am never left Muscat.

The Independent expected to arrive to a mob of people waiting for their family and friends to return on the government’s first repatriation flight from the Middle East.

Instead, we arrived at an almost-empty airport to find only a small number of airline staff who were just beginning their day.

It’s likely a stark contrast to Muscat International Airport, where Britons are scrambling to get a flight back home.

One unnamed passenger due to board the repatriation flight described the situation as shambolic.

There has been no information from the Foreign Office on why the flight did not depart, and staff at both Heathrow and Muscat International Airport were unable to provide any update.

Passengers set to board the government’s chartered flight may now be wishing they had flown commercial, with a British Airways flight from Muscat set to touch down at Heathrow at around 8.15am on Thursday.

The passenger told Sky News that the plane would be taking off later on Wednesday after the pilot had rested.

Our reporter Athena Stavrou reports:

A government minister has explained why Britain’s first evacuation flight from the Middle East was unable to take off last night.

Border Security Minister Alex Norris said “delays getting passengers on board” were part of the “operational reasons” the chartered plane did not take off from Muscat as scheduled last night.

“There have been a number of commercial flights that have gone yesterday,” he told Sky News.

“We have chartered a flight out of Oman that wasn’t able to leave last night for operational reasons. We expect that to be leaving today.”