Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the fall of Bashar al-Assad, saying Syrians “have endured his brutal regime for far, far too long”.

The prime minister said his government was “talking to regional allies” and called on Syrians to find “a political path forward.” He added: “It is very important that civilians and minorities are protected in this process.”

“But (I’m) very, very happy with it Assad has fallen” he said.

Syria currently: curfew imposed by rebels

Sir Keir would not say whether the UK would hold talks with the insurgents who have seized control of the country Assad after 24 years in power.

One of those groups, Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), was once known as the Nusra Front, a former wing of al-Qaeda, before cutting those ties in 2016, and has long been designated a terrorist group by the United States and Russia.

Mr Starmer said it was important that “we stabilize, that we reject terrorism and violence and that we all work towards a political solution for the future of Syria and the region.”

Sir Keir visits the Middle East on a trip planned to join rebel forces before the collapse of the Syrian regime.

While the trip was originally intended to discuss economic partnerships between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), regional instability is now also expected to take center stage.

However, Downing Street announced this on Saturday evening Sir Keir wants to “deepen defense and security ties”. with both the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

UK defense exports to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are worth £3.8 billion and are the largest such market for the UK.

For many years, the KSA was against the Assad regime in Syria and also against Assad’s supporters in Iran.

The Saudis had previously provided military and financial support to various rebel groups in Syria during the civil war in 2011.

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Last year, Bashar al Assad visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after Syria was readmitted to the Arab League after an 11-year absence.

Syria was expelled from the group following the outbreak of civil war and the regime’s treatment of civilians.

The UAE also broke off relations with Syria after the outbreak of war before resuming relations in 2018.

The KSA has also recently improved its relations with Iran, although the two nations support opposing factions in conflicts such as Syria, Yemen and elsewhere.