Starmer welcomes fall of Assadâs âbarbaric regimeâ

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed the fall of Bashar al-Assadâs âbarbaric regimeâ in Syria, as he called for the restoration of âpeace and stabilityâ.
The ousted Syrian president â who Russian state media report is in Moscow having been granted asylum by Russia â fled the country after his government fell to a lightning rebel offensive early on Sunday.
Sir Keir said the Syrian people âhad to put up with [Assadâs] brutal regime for far, far too longâ.
When asked if the government would engage with rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), set up as an affiliate of al-Qaeda and proscribed as a terrorist group by the UK, he said it was âearly daysâ but that there needed to be a âpolitical solutionâ.
âThe developments in Syria in recent hours and days are unprecedented, and we are speaking to our partners in the region and monitoring the situation closely,â Sir Keir said on Sunday, shortly after arriving in the United Arab Emirates for a visit unrelated to events in Syria.
âThe Syrian people have suffered under Assadâs barbaric regime for too long and we welcome his departure.
âOur focus is now on ensuring a political solution prevails, and peace and stability is restored.â
He also called on âall sidesâ to protect civilians and minorities, and âensure essential aid can reach the most vulnerableâ in the coming hours and days.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel said: âOur first priority must be the Syrian people. Syrians need to be protected â all communities and groups.â
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey described Assad as âa vile dictator who used chemical weapons against him own peopleâ in a post on X.
He added the UK must âdo what we can to ensure the protection of minority groups and ultimately an orderly transition of power with free and fair electionsâ.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner earlier told the BBCâs Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that the UK wanted to see âa political solution along the lines of UN resolution, and weâre working with our alliesâ.
Asked if HTS would be better than Assad, Rayner said âweâve got to have a government in Syria, a political solution, that protests civilians and infrastructureâ.
The Islamist group, set up 13 years ago as a direct affiliate of al-Qaeda, drove the rebelsâ rise to power in Syria in recent weeks.
It previously publicly broke ranks with al-Qaeda, although it remains proscribed as a terrorist group by the UK, as well as the UN, the US, Turkey and other countries.
Questions remain over whether it has completely renounced those links, but its message in the run-up to Assadâs deposition has been one of inclusiveness and a rejection of violence.
Former head of MI6 Sir John Sawers told Sky News: âI think Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, the leader, has made great efforts over the last 10 years to distance himself from those terrorist groups and certainly the actions weâve seen of [HTS] over the last two weeks has been those of a liberation movement, not of a terrorist organisation.â
He added: âIt would be rather ridiculous, actually, if weâre unable to engage with the new leadership in Syria because of a proscription dating back 12 years.â
The prime ministerâs pre-planned visits to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for meetings on Monday are unrelated to events in Syria.
The government said Sir Keir is pursuing closer ties with the two countries to increase investment, deepen defence and security ties, and drive growth and new opportunities to benefit working people.
The UK government had been evacuating its citizens from Syria over the weekend before the fall of Damascus overnight.
On Sunday, hundreds of Syrians in Manchester celebrated Assadâs demise by singing, dancing and crying in the city centre, while dozens of people also gathered in Belfast to celebrate the end of his regime.