
MPs should get veto on any Iran conflict, Plaid Cymru says
MPs should have the opportunity to veto any plans for UK military involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, Plaid Cymru has said. The US bombed three nuclear sites in Iran at the weekend after escalation between Israel and Iran entered its third week.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called for de-escalation as Iran and Israel still launch missiles at each other's territory.Foreign Secretary David Lammy is due to make a statement to MPs in the Commons later on the conflict.
US President Donald Trump said the US military had carried out "massive, precision strikes" on three key nuclear facilities in Iran following concerns about reports Tehran was working on a nuclear missile programme.Iranian officials confirmed sites were struck but denied they suffered any major damage and have vowed there would be "everlasting consequences" following the US strikes.Sir Keir stressed the UK was not involved in the US strikes. He also warned of the risk of escalation, and said he wanted to reassure people "we're doing everything we can to stabilise the situation".
Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said the US attack was "a mistake" which could lead to "potentially catastrophic consequences".Speaking on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, ap Iorwerth said: "Yes, we agree with Sir Keir Starmer that de-escalation has to be the goal now but we need assurances here for example and we are asking for assurances that there will be a vote in the UK Parliament before there was a possibility of the UK being sucked into this action – which we think should not happen".
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BreakingNews.ie
19 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Charities call for end to Israeli-backed aid group as dozens more die in Gaza
Dozens of international charities and non-governmental organisations have called for an Israeli and US-backed aid mechanism for Gaza to be disbanded over repeated deadly violence against Palestinians heading towards its sites. At least seven Palestinians were killed seeking aid in southern and central Gaza between late Monday and early Tuesday. Advertisement The deaths came after Israeli forces killed at least 74 people in Gaza earlier on Monday with air strikes that left 30 dead at a seaside cafe and gunfire that killed 23 as Palestinians tried to get desperately needed food aid, witnesses and health officials said. Palestinians wounded while returning from one of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centres (Mariam Dagga/AP) The war has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says more than half of the dead were women and children. The Hamas attack in October 2023 that sparked the war killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 others hostage. Some 50 hostages remain, many of them thought to be dead. More than 165 major international charities and non-governmental organisations, including Oxfam, Save the Children and Amnesty, called on Tuesday for an immediate end to the Gaza Humanitarian Fund. Advertisement 'Palestinians in Gaza face an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot while trying desperately to reach food to feed their families,' the group said in a joint news release. The call by the charities and NGOs was the latest sign of trouble for the GHF — a secretive US and Israeli-backed initiative headed by an evangelical leader who is a close ally of Donald Trump. GHF started distributing aid on May 26, following a nearly three-month Israeli blockade which has pushed Gaza's population of more than two million people to the brink of famine. In a statement on Tuesday, the organisation said it has delivered more than 52 million meals over five weeks. Advertisement Kidney patients sit amid the destruction caused by the Israeli army at Shifa Hospital (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) 'Instead of bickering and throwing insults from the sidelines, we would welcome other humanitarian groups to join us and feed the people in Gaza,' the statement said. 'We are ready to collaborate and help them get their aid to people in need. At the end of the day, the Palestinian people need to be fed.' Last month, the organisation said there had been no violence in or around its distribution centres and that its personnel had not opened fire. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed around the chaotic and controversial aid distribution programme over the past month. Advertisement Palestinians are often forced to travel long distances to access the GHF hubs in hopes of obtaining aid. The GHF is the linchpin of a new aid system that took distribution away from aid groups led by the UN. The new mechanism limits food distribution to a small number of hubs under guard of armed contractors, where people must go to pick it up. Currently four hubs are set up, all close to Israeli military positions. Israel had demanded an alternative plan because it accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid. The United Nations and aid groups deny there was significant diversion, and say the new mechanism allows Israel to use food as a weapon, violates humanitarian principles and will not be effective. Advertisement Displaced Palestinians flee Jabalia (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) The Israeli military said it had recently taken steps to improve organisation in the area. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of hiding among civilians because they operate in populated areas. Of the latest seven deaths by Israeli fire, three occurred in Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis, while four were killed in central Gaza. More than 65 others were wounded, according to the Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp, and the Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City, which received the casualties. They were among thousands of starved Palestinians who gather at night to take aid from passing trucks in the area of the Netzarim route in central Gaza. An 11-year-old girl was killed on Tuesday when an Israeli strike hit her family's tent west of Khan Younis, according to the Kuwait field hospital that received her body. The UN Palestinian aid agency also said Israel's military struck one of its schools sheltering displaced people in Gaza City on Monday. The strike caused no casualties but caused significant damage, UNRWA said. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry in the occupied West Bank said Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in the territory, including a 15-year-old, in two separate incidents.


BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
Church in Wales calls for investigation of Bangor diocese
The Church in Wales has called for a series of reviews and investigations of Bangor diocese and Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John, announced he was retiring with immediate effect on Friday following a turbulent period for the Bangor diocese after the publication of the summaries of two critical summaries mentioned "a culture in which sexual boundaries seemed blurred", excessive alcohol consumption, as well as governance and safeguarding weaknesses at Bangor Church's representative body said there must be a "change in leadership, procedures and governance in the Diocese of Bangor". BBC-produced Newyddion S4C was told the former Archbishop attempted to amend the statement, but was rejected. The Church did not wish to respond to that representative body of the Church of Wales said it was concerned about "revelations of safeguarding failures, blurred boundaries, inappropriate conduct, weak control environment and lack of transparency in management at Bangor Cathedral" which are described as "deeply troubling".It said it "urged the [Bangor] Diocese and Cathedral to act swiftly and transparently to restore trust and ensure a safe, accountable environment for all".It then recommended an independent financial audit of three charities connected to the Bangor Diocese and Cathedral, a cultural audit of the Church in Wales and an external investigation into the behaviour, culture and activities of the cathedral choir with due attention given to the issues identified in the reports relating to the choir. It also asked that trustees of charities related to the diocese and cathedral at Bangor commit to "fully engage" to address the issues identified within the reports. The board recommended that a taskforce be created to "create a sustainable infrastructure for the future. The taskforce members are to be given full access to information and be allowed to attend board and management meetings".It also said senior leaders of the diocese, the Diocesan board of finance and the cathedral chapter should agree to reflect on the "incidents that have led the Diocese to this situation".The trustees said the future funding for the Diocese of Bangor and its Cathedral are "entirely dependent on the Church's representative body satisfying itself that appropriate management structures and financial and administrative procedures are in place to demonstrate effective governance."A safeguarding audit of all Cathedrals in Wales is also being commissioned by the church's representative body to ensure appropriate procedures and protocols related to safeguarding are being followed.


Daily Mail
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Foreign agents must register with UK authorities from TODAY or face jail… but Labour is accused of 'kowtowing' to Beijing as China is spared from the toughest rules
Agents of foreign states must register their roles in the UK from today or face the threat of jail under a new scheme. The new Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) came into effect on Tuesday as ministers look to crack down on covert action by foreign governments. The scheme requires anyone carrying out 'political influence activities' on behalf of a foreign power to register with the Government or face prosecution. The maximum penalty for not registering is five years in prison and a fine. But Labour has been accused of 'kowtowing' to Beijing by excluding China from the most stringent requirements. So far, only Iran and Russia have been placed in the 'enhanced tier'. This requires anyone working for certain states to declare any activity, not just political work. Senior Tories said it was 'shameful' that China would not be subject to the toughest rules after being left off the 'enhanced tier'. The Government was claimed to be on 'bended knee' to Beijing as it chases deeper ties with China as part of PM Sir Keir Starmer's and Chancellor Rachel Reeves' scramble for economic growth. FIRS, which cover activities such as political communications or lobbying, was introduced in 2023 as part of efforts to strengthen national security. China has been repeatedly accused of seeking to covertly influence British politics and academia. A 2023 report by Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee found China had engaged in 'aggressive' interference. This included seeking to 'penetrate or buy academia to ensure that its international narrative is advanced and criticism of China suppressed'. Tory MP Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'The Conservative government introduced measures to crack down on hostile states. 'Then Labour quietly exempted one of the biggest of all. This Government's systematic kowtowing to China is shameful. 'We Conservatives will continue to keep the pressure on Labour, until they finally stop protecting Beijing and start protecting Britain.' Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, is among a group of parliamentarians to have been sanctioned by Beijing over their criticisms of China's actions. He said: 'China carries out cyber attacks on the UK daily, it's trashed the Sino-British agreement on Hong Kong... threatens to invade Taiwan, supports Russia in their brutal invasion of Ukraine, supports Iran and is carrying out genocide in Xinjiang. 'Why on earth has the Government decided China doesn't pose a significant threat to the UK? 'The Government seems to be on bended knee rather than standing tall in the face of the threat China poses. It's time to call China a threat to us as they clearly are.' Luke de Pulford, of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said: 'FIRS is the latest casualty of the UK's China policy. 'A scheme designed to address state threats won't include our biggest state threat, which makes about as much sense as it sounds.' Commenting on FIRS coming into effect on Tuesday, security minister Dan Jarvis said: 'We welcome legitimate engagement with all countries. 'But we will not tolerate covert attempts to manipulate our political system or society. 'FIRS scheme gives us the tools to confront growing threats to our national security, one of the foundations of our plan for change, without compromising the openness that defines our democracy.'