UK military could 'potentially' be used to defend Israel, chancellor tells Sky News

The chancellor has told Sky News that UK subject assets could "potentially" beryllium utilized to assistance support Israel, and the authorities is "not ruling thing out".

Rachel Reeves said that portion the UK is calling for de-escalation successful the region, it is besides sending subject assets, including combatant jets, "to support ourselves and besides perchance to enactment our allies".

The chancellor went further than the premier curate past night, who confirmed the question of subject assets, but refused to accidental if they could beryllium utilized to assistance Israel.

She besides warned astir rising lipid prices and disruption to cardinal commercialized routes successful the Middle East, which could spot ostentation successful Britain.

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Speaking to Sky's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, the chancellor said sending subject assets to the Middle East "does not mean that we are astatine war", and emphasised that "we person not been progressive successful these strikes oregon this conflict".

"But we bash person important assets successful the region," she continued. "And it is close that we nonstop jets to support them. And that's what we've done. It's a precautionary move, and astatine the aforesaid time, we are urging de-escalation."

Asked what the UK authorities would bash if the Israelis requested the deployment of assets to enactment their operations, Ms Reeves reiterated that determination has been nary UK engagement truthful acold and would not get successful to "operational decisions for the future".

She said: "This is simply a accelerated moving situation. Israel has each close to support itself. We besides are precise acrophobic astir Iran's atomic deterrent."

She continued: "We have, successful the past, supported Israel erstwhile determination had been missiles coming in. I'm not going to remark connected what mightiness hap successful the future. But truthful acold we haven't been involved. We're sending successful assets to support ourselves and besides perchance to enactment our allies."

Pushed connected the question of what the UK would bash if Israel asked for enactment with its operations, the chancellor replied: "I'm not going to regularisation thing retired astatine this stage. It's a accelerated moving situation, a precise volatile situation. But we don't privation to spot escalation."

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Asked if the UK would enactment a alteration of authorities successful Tehran, she replied: "I've got nary clip for the Iranian authorities for the suppression and repression of their ain people, and we person superior concerns, which we've expressed connected a fig of occasions, astir the Iranian atomic programme.

"But we privation to spot de-escalation astatine the moment. We are not trying to ramp up the rhetoric."

Ms Reeves besides warned of the consequences of the struggle successful the UK, saying that lipid and state prices "have gone up by conscionable implicit 10%" since the struggle started, and informing determination is simply a hazard that cardinal commercialized routes done the Middle East could beryllium disrupted.