British ministers have called for support for US President Donald Trump's peace plan in Gaza and backed Tony Blair's high-profile involvement.
Hamish Falconer, the Middle East minister, said there had been progress on resolving the war in recent weeks even though the situation in Gaza continues to be "a scar on our conscience".
"We have had one ceasefire, a short ceasefire while I was in the Middle East,” he said on Tuesday. “This offers the prospect of something more enduring, something that installs Palestinian government into Gaza. We must welcome it. We must work on it and we must make progress to achieve the objectives set out."
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said former prime minister Mr Blair's role would raise eyebrows. Speaking from Labour's annual conference, Mr Streeting said he backed the move, even from the perspective of one who had opposed the Iraq war.
“Now, I know there’ll be some people who look at Tony Blair and his legacy in Iraq and [it] will raise eyebrows, to say the least, about whether he’s the right man to be involved in this," he said. “Tony Blair also had an incredible legacy in Northern Ireland of bringing together sworn enemies to build a peace that has lasted.
“So if he can bring that skill set to bear in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the support of Israelis, Palestinians and other regional powers, then so much the better.”
Those with knowledge of the work Mr Blair has been doing on the issue acknowledge his motivation lies partly in the legacy of Iraq's collapse after the invasion in March 2003. He also has experience of working on the region's politics, having been made Middle East envoy for the Quartet of international powers (the US, the EU, Russia and the UN) after leaving office in 2007.
Sir William Patey, chairman of Labour's Middle East Council, said it was key the process featured the involvement of Palestinians and the backing of regional states.
"It does offer the prospect of an end to the current carnage, of Israeli withdrawal," he said. "It has the backing, and there has been consultation with the major Arab states who will have to play a significant role in bringing security under some international force.
"They will play significant roles in rebuilding Gaza. I think the important thing about the plan is that Palestinians are able to go back to the whole of Gaza."
The proposal relies on acceptance by Hamas of the terms as set out by Mr Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who boasted in Washington overnight that the announcement had isolated Israel's enemy.
Genocide resolution
Meanwhile, the UK government is under intense pressure to call Israel’s actions in Gaza “genocide” after Labour adopted an emergency motion toughening its policy.
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador, gave an impassioned speech at a fringe event attended by cabinet ministers, urging them to adopt the policy on Monday night.
Mr Zomlot welcomed Britain’s recognition of a Palestinian state but, speaking in front of Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and Health Secretary Wes Streeting, he urged them to “acknowledge the genocide in Gaza”.
Labour Party members had earlier voted to approve an emergency motion at its conference in Liverpool to accept the UN commission of inquiry, which concluded Israel had “committed genocide” in Gaza. A speech by Chancellor Rachel Reeves was interrupted by a heckler calling for more action on Gaza.
Relations between Britain and Israel are at a nadir and declaring genocide in Gaza could render them irretrievable.
The government may be saved from taking a position following Washington’s moves on Monday to bring about a peace deal with Hamas.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the US initiative was “profoundly welcome” and that he was “grateful for President Trump’s leadership”.
“We are all committed to a collective effort to end the war in Gaza and deliver a sustainable peace, where Palestinians and Israelis can live side by side in safety and security,” he said.
Mr Zomlot said he was deeply grateful for the UK’s formal recognition of Palestine, but it needed “to be followed by, number one, acknowledging the genocide in Gaza", to intense applause at the Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East event in Liverpool.
While Palestinian recognition and the ending of “denial of 108 years of our existence” – since the 1917 Balfour Declaration – have “let us end the denial of genocide”, he said, “it has to become a Labour policy".
Palestinians were “not just merely surviving, we are not just on the defence against erasure, we are also on the offence to build a better future”. Speaking with emotion, he added: “We want to see our children in playgrounds, in schools, not in graveyards.”
British ministers applauded his remarks on Palestinian recognition but remained silent during his genocide comments. But Mr Lammy responded subtly to the speech, decrying the “unbelievable horrors” of Gaza that “are a stain on the world's conscience, with tens of thousands of innocent women and children killed”.
The famine in Gaza was “not a natural disaster” but “a cruel result of a blockade” and the Israeli military's offensive in the territory was “morally wrong”, Mr Lammy said.
Company%C2%A0profile
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The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
'Jurassic%20World%20Dominion'
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
TOP 5 DRIVERS 2019
1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 10 wins 387 points
2 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 4 wins, 314 points
3 Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 3 wins, 260 points
4 Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 2 wins, 249 points
5 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1 win, 230 points
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
