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Hamish Falconer has confirmed that the UK was not involved in the Israeli military action against Iran overnight. 

The Middle East minister said the government is "engaging with partners to urge de-escalation".

He added: "Stability in the Middle East is essential for global security."

Kemi Badenoch has said Iran must "never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons".

That's a position held by most politicians in the UK.

But unlike other responses so far this morning, she makes no mention of Israel - who have carried out air-strikes on dozens of military sites across Iran overnight. 

She continued: "Our immediate focus must be on stabilisation 鈥� working with allies to prevent further escalation.

"But let鈥檚 be clear-eyed about the reality. 

"The world is becoming more dangerous, and Britain must be ready to defend itself."

The leader of the Liberal Democrats has said that people both in the UK and across the world "will be fearing the break-out of widespread regional conflict in the Middle East", following Israel hitting dozens of military sites in Iran.

Sir Ed Davey has urged the UK government to "contain Iran's nuclear ambitions through diplomacy, not war".

Sky News understands that the RAF was not involved in defending Israel's skies against Iranian counterattacks - but that additional forces could potentially be sent to a key military base in Cyprus, RAF Akrotiri.

By Deborah Haynes, security and defence editor

The UK does not appear to have been warned in advance of Israel鈥檚 plan to attack Iran.

David Lammy, the foreign secretary, had been due to travel to the US on Friday to meet his American counterpart.

The trip was cancelled once it became known that Israel had launched its operation.

A Whitehall source said the late cancellation of Lammy鈥檚 travel plans indicated that the UK had not been alerted in advance to the timing of the attack.

However, the UK had been aware of the increasing likelihood of an Israeli mission to strike Iran鈥檚 nuclear facilities, given the rhetoric from the Israeli government in recent weeks.

Earlier this morning, Industry Minister Sarah Jones said it would not "be appropriate" to say if the UK was warned - but added that Britain wasn't involved.

For context: We know both the US and German governments were tipped off by the Israeli's ahead of their strikes on Iran.

James Cleverly has criticised the international community for being "too slow and meek" in its response to the Iranian nuclear programme. 

He said that as foreign secretary, he "pushed for a more robust international response to Iran's nuclear enrichment to avoid this very outcome".

This was because "it was always clear to me that Israel would take kinetic action if others didn't take effective diplomatic action", he said. 

Unacceptable posture from Iran must end

Turning to the strikes themselves, Cleverly said that "regional stability and de-escalation are the priorities now".

He added: "Iran must drop its nuclear weapons aspirations. It is an unacceptable posture, not just for Israel but for many other countries in the region. 

"Israel must show discipline and restraint to prevent further escalation."

A short while ago, a senior Tory in the shadow cabinet hit back at Israel's claim it had "no choice" to act - saying that "everybody has always got a choice on exactly what they do and when".

The shadow foreign secretary has said she is watching developments in the Middle East "closely" and is urging "all sides to work towards a de-escalation of tensions".

Dame Priti Patel added: "The world is an increasingly dangerous place with significant threats to our national interests, security and defence.

"We must use our influence and diplomacy to work closely with all of our allies in the region and beyond to resolve conflicts, and deliver peace and stability in the Middle East."

Richard Holden says the Israeli strikes on Iran as well as Iranian counterattacks overnight are "concerning".

The shadow paymaster general tells Sky News that the Israeli strikes "could lead to a broader escalation for the region".

He says: "What I want to see is stability restored, to see peace restored as quickly as possible, because I want to see us move towards a two-state solution for Israel, Palestine and also Israel normalising relations with its neighbours."

The shadow minister also rebuts Israel's claim that it had "no choice" but to attack Iran. 

He says that "everybody has always got a choice on exactly what they do and when".

Holden explains that he doesn't know "the ins and outs of it" as he is not part of the government. 

But he recognised that "Israel feels itself under constant pressure from regimes which say they want to wipe it off the face of the Earth".

UK could have a 'big role' in promoting peace

Asked if he believes Iranian claims that their nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only, Holden says that he doesn't "think anybody realistically believes that's the case".

He adds that Iran claims it doesn't fund proxies, which is "also clearly untrue".

The top Tory repeats his calls for a move "towards stability, calmness and de-escalation of the situation".

Asked what role the UK could play in this, Holden responds that Britain and its allies could have "a big role" in this.

He says: "We've got to play our role wherever we can in moving towards that, to promote stability and peace... but also enabling, wherever possible, some of those broader long-term relationships actually to develop as well."

But he also acknowledges that the government must be "realistic" in seeking a long-term peace.

 Zach Polanski has said that Israel is "out of control", following the country's attacks on Iran overnight.

The Green Party deputy leader said the country has been out of control "for a long time".

He added that Starmer's response to the strikes - calling for all countries to reduce tensions and step back - "absurd".

Polanski said: "For Starmer to talk about de-escalation whilst continuing to support a genocide is increasingly absurd - and dangerous."

For clarity: the reference to genocide there refers to the Israeli's campaign against proscribed terrorist group Hamas, in Gaza. Tens of thousands of civilians have died in the territory since this began in October 2023.

Israel is a rogue state and UK should cease all military support

Green MP Ellie Chowns has said that the strikes overnight show Israel is a "rogue state operating outside international law".

She added: "Israel can no longer continue to enjoy the diplomatic and trade privileges they have as part of the international community."

Chowns has called on the UK government to say if it knew about the strikes in advance, to summon the Israeli ambassador and to "state unequivocally that it will cease military support for Israel".

She said: "Iran鈥檚 nuclear brinkmanship is a threat to peace in the wider region and cannot be tolerated. 

"Now more than ever, we need cool heads in a multilateral diplomatic process to look to address Iran鈥檚 growing nuclear threat."

 By Deborah Haynes, security and defence editor

British warplanes are not currently involved in helping to defend Israel鈥檚 skies from any Iranian counterattacks, it is understood.

This could change as the situation develops.

Additional forces could well be sent to a key Royal Air Force base in Cyprus, where Eurofighter Typhoon jets are stationed.

The deployment of reinforcements to RAF Akrotiri has happened in the past during times of crisis in the Middle East.