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PM Burnham sends RAF to aid Saudis; air traffic system faces second glitch

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has decided to send RAF support to Saudi Arabia, marking his first major foreign policy move. Meanwhile, the national air traffic control system has experienced a second glitch this month, leading to calls for the Nats boss to be sacked.

  • Prime Minister Andy Burnham has authorised RAF refuelling support for Saudi jets in Yemen, acting on advice from the Defence and Foreign Secretaries.
  • The national air traffic system has suffered a second glitch this month, which the Metro reports grounded "thousands" of flights.
  • The Times reports that most inmates released early will not receive a monitoring tag before their release on 1 October due to Probation Service capacity issues.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has made his first significant foreign policy intervention by deciding to send RAF support to Saudi Arabia. The RAF will provide refuelling assistance to Saudi jets engaged against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. This decision was made on the advice of Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband.

Mr Burnham is quoted by The Times as stating that facilitating oil flow will help address the cost of living. The Guardian notes that the Prime Minister plans to urge US President Donald Trump to end the conflict in Iran during their first meeting at the UN in New York City.

In domestic news, the national air traffic control system has experienced a second glitch this month, which the Metro describes as grounding "thousands" of flights. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander called the outage "deeply frustrating". Airline chiefs are reportedly calling for the head of National Air Traffic Services (Nats) to be dismissed.

Additionally, The Times reports that most inmates participating in the early release scheme will not be fitted with a monitoring tag before their release, which is set to begin on 1 October. The paper states that the Probation Service lacks the capacity to fit these tags beforehand, and released inmates will instead be tagged "once in the community".

Why this matters: The Prime Minister's decision marks a new direction in UK foreign policy regarding the conflict in Yemen, while ongoing issues with air traffic control could continue to affect travel.

What this means for you: If you are planning air travel, the reported issues with the national air traffic system could lead to flight disruptions.

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