PA MediaShadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel has called on the UK government to offer repatriation flights to British nationals who want to leave Israel.
Dame Priti told the BBC there are “thousands upon thousands” of Britons in Israel, adding that the government’s response so far is “not sufficient”.
British nationals in the country are facing difficulties getting to the UK, with the airspace closed due to Israel’s conflict with Iran. The BBC has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.
Asked if she would offer the US military support if it attacked Iran, Dame Priti said she would not speculate but she would support necessary action if required to defend the UK and its citizens.
It comes as Foreign Secretary David Lammy is set to meet his US counterpart in Washington after Donald Trump said he was mulling whether to join Israeli strikes against Iran.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Dame Priti pointed out that embassy staff have been evacuated from Israel.
“There are thousands upon thousands of British nationals in Israel and currently the government response is not sufficient,” she said.
“There are [phone] numbers being put up for families to call and that is simply not good enough.
“We do know embassy personnel are being evacuated. And if they can do that for embassy staff then clearly additional facilities must be extended to British nationals in Israel.”
Dame Priti added other countries were offering air, sea and land options.
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Washington was working to get military, commercial, charter flights and cruise ships for evacuation.
Dame Priti’s call for repatriation flights comes after the Foreign Office issued advice on Sunday against all travel to Israel.
British nationals currently in those areas have been told to register their presence via an online form and to follow the advice of local authorities.
The Foreign Office said international land border crossings with Jordan and Egypt remains open – with consular teams in place to provide assistance – while the embassy in Tel Aviv and consulate in Jerusalem remains “fully staffed”.
On Wednesday, a “rapid deployment team” arrived in Jordan which the Foreign Office said would “boost our consular presence”.
Israel and Iran have been exchanging fire for days after air strikes, which Tel Aviv said were aimed at preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Iranian officials have repeatedly said the country’s nuclear programme is peaceful.
US President Donald Trump has not publicly said whether the US will join the Israeli strikes, but the BBC’s US partner CBS reported he had approved attack plans for Iran although he has not made a final decision on whether to strike the country.
