Keir Starmer urged to ‘stand up’ for Brits jailed in UAE during his Gulf visit

Keir Starmer is under pressure to raise the arrests of British nationals during the Iran war while he is in the Gulf (Picture: via REUTERS)

Keir Starmer is facing calls to ‘stand up’ for British nationals in jail in the United Arab Emirates during his visit to the Gulf this week.

Campaigners, the Shadow Foreign Secretary and the Liberal Democrats are urging the prime minister to raise the arrests of dozens of Brits in the Gulf State during the Iran war.

As many as 70 UK nationals have been held and could face ten years in jail for filming Iranian attacks on the Gulf country.

Advocates claim the detainees are not being supported by the British embassy, while some are being denied sleep, food and medicine.

Missiles have struck hotels and other high-profile locations (Picture: Matthew McGinn / SWNS)

Sir Keir has landed in the Gulf to meet with heads of state and UK military personnel before returning on Friday.

Dame Priti Patel, Shadow Foreign Secretary, called on the prime minister to push for the release of the dozens of Brits in detention in the UAE.

She told Metro: ‘Starmer must show some strength and ensure our partners in the UAE do not keep Brits locked up simply for filming their surroundings.’

David Haigh, who is representing nine arrested Brits, said the Labour leader needed to demonstrate that the ‘the abuse of British people in a foreign country is unacceptable and will not be tolerated’.

The high-profile human rights lawyer added: ‘If he doesn’t raise that then he will just looks weak to Arab leaders, who respect strength.’

He claimed the government cares more about their ‘political and security relationship’ with the UAE, alleging that the embassy has been ‘absolutely useless’ in helping those in jail.

Priti Patel has said the prime minister should push the UAE to release the Brits they have arrested (Picture: Henry NICHOLLS / AFP via Getty Images) Human rights lawyer David Haigh said the prime minister would look ‘weak’ if he did not raise the arrests (Picture: GB News)

Haigh said that two of his clients are still in ‘squalid’ conditions in prison, while the others are going through the legal process and cannot leave the Gulf state.

Laws in the UAE prohibit publishing or sharing material that could disturb public security, and the British embassy has previously warned expats not to take pictures or share images of Iranian missiles.

Even passively receiving an image is deemed illegal under the strictest laws, which could carry a ten-year jail term or a fine up to £200,00.

Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, has a constituent being held in the UAE for allegedly breaching these cybercrimes.

The St Albans MP told Metro: ‘It’s absolutely right that the Prime Minister takes this opportunity to raise the detention of dozens of British nationals with the UAE government.

‘I’m deeply concerned that my constituent has been held with very little contact with their family, with no clear access to legal counsel, and no confirmation that UK consular officials have been permitted to visit them.

The response from the authorities appears wholly disproportionate given the nature of the allegations. The family are distressed and desperate for information about their wellbeing.’

The Palm Jumeirah Fairmont hotel was hit by a Shahed suicide drone launched from Iran (Picture: Chris Eubank Jr/Facebook)

One British prisoner in jail in the UAE has claimed he and his other inmates were beaten up by police in their cell.

Radha Stirling, founder of Detained In Dubai, claims the inmate’s family has shown her his handwritten note – smuggled out of the prison – which contains those allegations.

The leading campaigner and founder of Detained in Dubai told Metro: ‘Keir Starmer must clearly call for the release of those detained under cybercrime laws’.

She also said the prime minister must ‘secure proper consular access, and push for the lifting of travel bans imposed over non-serious matters.

‘If these issues are not raised now, it sends a clear message that the safety and rights of British nationals are secondary to diplomatic convenience.’

Detained In Dubai also say they are helping a 60-year-old British tourist who was charged with 20 others after footage of Iranian attacks was found on their phones.

He faces two years in jail and a fine as large as $40,000 despite deleting the footage.

Radha Stirling is helping several Brits detained in the UAE (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX)

Another Brit who was detained in the UAE is a London-based air steward for budget airline FlyDubai.

It is understood he took a picture of the damage caused when an Iranian drone struck close to Dubai airport on March 7 and sent it to colleagues, asking if the area was safe.

Police later checked his phone and arrested him.

Stirling also said her clients were ‘extremely upset’ about the ‘lack of assistance’ from the Foreign Office.

She claimed: ‘The government has failed to swiftly intervene and has not secured visitations for detainees.’

There were more than 240,000 Britons living in the United Arab Emirates before the start of the war with Iran.

The Emirati embassy in London has previously said people had been warned about taking or sharing photos from ‘incident sites’, adding: ‘Disseminating such materials or inaccurate information can incite public panic and create a false impression of the UAE’s actual situation.’

The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.

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