UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says "we need to make sure that it is a peaceful transition" in Syria after the fall of president Bashar al-Assad. Speaking in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as he embarks on a tour of the Gulf, Starmer explains the UK government is "having intense discussions with allies in the region". Addressing comments made by senior minister Pat McFadden that the UK would decide "quickly" on whether to remove the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from its list of proscribed terrorist organisations, Starmer says "no decision is pending." COMPLETES EN_36PZ864 IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES