One of Reform UK’s biggest backers has said he feels “safer in Dubai than in Sadiq Khan’s London” – despite a barrage of rockets flying overhead.
Nick Candy, the party’s treasurer, said he feels “completely safe” while enjoying dinner at a restaurant near the beach.
Writing in the Daily Mail, he attributed the relative peace in the United Arab Emirates to their version of the Iron Dome – and called for Britain to develop the same technology.
“There’s more chance of getting stabbed on a London street than of being injured in an Iranian attack,” he said. “The atmosphere here is confident and calm.”
The Emirates’ military says it has intercepted 506 out of 541 Iranian drones entering the country had been intercepted, representing just under 95 per cent of drones.
The 35 drones which landed into the country caused “material damage” and resulted in three deaths and a further 58 minor injuries.
Some 165 ballistic missiles had been launched towards the UAE, with 152 being intercepted, and the remaining 13 fell into the sea.
One of the drones that did make it through UAE’s “Iron Dome” struck the US consulate in Dubai, sparking a small fire which was quickly contained.
Nick Candy serves as Reform UK’s treasurer and is a prominent political donor
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The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the drone hit a parking lot adjacent to the US consulate, and no injuries were reported.
Mr Rubio said: “All personnel are accounted for. As you’re aware, we began drawing down personnel from our diplomatic facilities in advance of this.”
Later, an Australian defence base in the UAE was also struck by a drone, with the country’s Defence Minister confirming all troops at the Al Minhad airbase were accounted for.
PICTURED: Smoke billowing from an area near the US consulate in Dubai, which Nick Candy said was safer than London
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“We’ve got more than 100 personnel across the Middle East. Most of them are in the UAE where we’ve had an operational headquarters at Al Minhad for many, many years now,” the defence minister said.
Mr Candy also criticised the response from figures within Britain, including Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey who said Britons living abroad were “tax exiles” and “washed-up old footballers”, saying his remarks were “disgraceful”.
Sir Keir Starmer said it was the duty of the Government was to protect all Britons living in the region.
The Foreign Office has been working on evacuation plans for the estimated 300,000 UK Nationals in the Middle East, with the first flights have arrived in Heathrow from Abu Dhabi and Oman.
PICTURED: A passenger speaking to reporters in Germany after evacuating the Middle East through Dubai
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A British Airways flight from Muscat, Oman returned to London with more than 100 empty seats, to the disappointment of Britons who were hoping to return home.
Some 125,000 British citizens in the region have registered with the Foreign Office, who is communicating directly with them through SMS and email.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper laid out the Government’s plans for helping Britons flee the Middle East, saying the Foreign Office was working closely with commercial airline providers and the transport industry.
Mrs Cooper said: “For Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the airlines have been able to reinstate some commercial flights and will be working to help existing passengers, and we are working with them and the government to try to maximise the number of seats for British nationals.
“For Oman, in addition to commercial flights, we are also working to secure a government charter flight in the coming days, to prioritise vulnerable citizens who need to return home.”
She added that her office was doing “everything possible to keep British citizens secure and safe”.