Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner says the collapse of Bashar al Assad’s regime in Syria is “welcome news”.
Speaking to Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips today, Ms Rayner said: “Well, the situation looks very serious and if the Assad regime has fallen, then I welcome that news.
“But what we need to say is a political resolution in line with the UN resolutions. And we need to see civilians and infrastructure protected.
“Far too many people have lost their lives – we need stability in that region.”
Politics latest: Deputy PM responds to Assad’s fall
President Assad has fled Syria according to multiple reports, following a lightning-fast rebel advance that saw his power evaporate in less than a fortnight.
The rebels, made up of various opposition groups but led by a one which has its origins in Al-Qaeda, said this morning they are continuing work to complete the transfer of power in Syria to a transitional governing body with full executive powers.
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The power dynamics of this volatile region will utterly change
Ms Rayner added: “If Assad has fallen and that regime is over, I welcome that.
“He wasn’t exactly good to the Syrian people.
“So we want to see a political resolution so that we can get that stability for Syrians and make sure that they have their infrastructure so that they have a political government there that is working in the interest of the Syrian people.”
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Asked about British citizens in Syria, the deputy prime minister said: “You’ll have heard last week the Foreign Secretary was very clear about UK civilians leaving Syria.
“We’ve had a plan to ensure that people were evacuated ahead of what’s happened over the weekend and we continue to support our UK nationals.”
Ms Rayner was also pushed by Trevor Phillips on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main rebel force, and its former link to Al Qaeda.
“Dictatorship and terrorism creates problems for the people of Syria who have faced so much already and also destabilizes the region,” she said.
“That’s why we have to have a political solution where the government is acting in the interests of the Syrian people. That’s what we want to see.
“That’s the type of democracy that we say is right for the world and that hopefully, is what the Syrian people will get.”
Sir Keir Starmer is heading to the Middle East later for a meeting with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, although the summit was organised before the fall of the Assad regime.
