Middle East

Stephen Gethins Excerpts
Monday 2nd March 2026

(1 day, 10 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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Keir Starmer Portrait The Prime Minister
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We have been very clear: the future of Iran must be for the Iranian people, and in the end the question of nuclear weapons will have to be negotiated. We will always ultimately have to get to that point.

Stephen Gethins Portrait Stephen Gethins (Arbroath and Broughty Ferry) (SNP)
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The Prime Minister will understand why the ghosts of Iraq hang heavy over the Chamber at times like this. On that basis, does he agree that the best rebuke to the murderers in Tehran and the Iranian regime is the maintenance of the international rules-based system? More than that, we owe it to the people across the region to learn from the instability in the aftermath of Iraq, so what is the long-term viable plan?

Keir Starmer Portrait The Prime Minister
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We do need to learn the lessons of history. That is why the rules-based system is important. It is also what allows us to make arrangements to get our citizens home and to deal with other matters in conjunction with other countries. On the basis of the decision that I took last night, the plan is to take the necessary measures to protect British nationals. We are clear that, in the end, there has to be de-escalation and a return to negotiation.