Sir Keir Starmer used his first speech as prime minister at the United Nations General Assembly to call for a de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East.
He said world leaders assembled in New York should work collaboratively towards “preventing a regional war in the Middle East” and called on Israel and terrorist group Hezbollah to “stop the violence” and “step back from the brink”.
Starmer continued: “We need to see an immediate ceasefire to provide space for a diplomatic settlement, and we are working with all partners to that end.
“Further escalation serves no one”, he said, and added that it “offers nothing but more suffering for innocent people on all sides and the prospect of a wider war that no one can control, and with consequences that none of us can foresee.”
