Keir Starmer shares ‘relief’ of British troops following US ceasefire with Iran during Gulf visit

Marcus Donaldson
Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:41:52 +0000

Sir Keir Starmer said he felt a “real sense of relief” among British troops following the US-Iran ceasefire during a visit to the King Fahd airbase in Saudi Arabia.

The Prime Minister was in the Gulf to “discuss diplomatic efforts to support and uphold the ceasefire” just hours after Donald Trump declared the temporary pause in hostilities.

“There is a real sense, I think, of relief. You could feel that at the base here in Saudi Arabia,” Sir Keir said.

“For 39 days, they've been acting in our collective self-defence. You can feel the relief.

“What they want to know, what people in the United Kingdom want to know, who will share that relief, is that this needs to be permanent,” the Prime Minister stressed.

WATCH THE PRIME MINISTER'S FULL REMARKS ABOVE