Jonathan Swain presents on Good Morning Britain (Image: ITV)
Good Morning Britain correspondent Jonathan Swain stepped in to announce some breaking news at the start of today’s show.
As the show kicked off this morning, hosts and Ed Balls crossed straight over to Jonathan at the Foreign Office, where he announced it had been a ‘brutal night’ in Beirut.
As a “Breaking News” banner appeared on screen, he said: “It has been a brutal night in Beirut of intense fighting and air strikes. It is thought as many as five thousand British nationals are still in the country but the options for them getting out are now diminishing day by day.
“Many commercial flights have had to be grounded or cancelled because of what’s happening in the air and the intense fighting so the British government have now chartered their own flights.”
British nationals in Lebanon received texts on how to book the flight (Image: ITV)
He added: “Tomorrow they will fly from Beirut to Birmingham, we understand. There’s limited space, of course, for British nationals and, of course, their dependents, and their families. They are being charged £350 per seat.”
Jonathan went on to explain what the government were doing to help those stuck in Lebanon. He said: “Last week, their rapid reaction force of 700 troops, they’re currently being based in a RAF base in standby. They are there should they be needed to operate a Dunkirk style evacuation. But British troops in that reason with all that intense fighting comes with its risks.”
It was announced that British nationals and their spouses or partners, and children under 18, would be prioritised for the flights.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said there would be a chartered flight (Image: Getty)
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “The situation in Lebanon is volatile and has potential to deteriorate quickly. The safety of British nationals in Lebanon continues to be our utmost priority. That’s why the UK government is chartering a flight to help those wanting to leave. It is vital that you leave now as further evacuation may not be guaranteed.”
The flight is due to leave Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday (2 October). The government said that those who had registered their presence with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) would be contacted on how to request a seat. They urged those who hadn’t registered their presence to do so straight away.
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