Zarah Sultana MP has posted a letter signed by more than forty MPs demanding that David Lammy "come clean" after reports suggest arms are still being shipped to Israel.
Zarah Sultana posted to X:
I’ve joined 41 MPs demanding that David Lammy comes clean over damning allegations that UK arms exports to Israel continued despite a supposed suspension.
If true, it would be a grave breach of the Ministerial Code — & raises urgent questions about whether Parliament was misled.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
LONDON SWIA OAA
The Rt Honourable David Lammy MP
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
Sent via email
Dear Foreign Secretary,
7 May 2025
We are writing to you following the publication of a new report which makes deeply troubling claims about British arms exports to Israel based on new data from the Israel Tax Authority.'
The joint report, produced by the Palestinian Youth Movement, the Progressive International and Workers for a Free Palestine, reveals a wide range of shipments of military goods, munitions of war, arms and aircraft parts from the UK to Israel since the war on Gaza began in October 2023. It states that most of these shipments occurred after the UK government's suspension of around 30 arms export licences to Israel in September 2024, with the UK sending 8,630 separate munitions since the suspensions took effect, all in the category 'Bombs, Grenades, Torpedoes, Mines, Missiles And Similar Munitions Of War And Parts Thereof Other'.
The report also makes very concerning claims about the continued direct supply of F-35 components. The government has consistently claimed that it has stopped the direct export of F-35 parts following the partial suspension of arms official ban in September 2024. However, the report states that the pattern of UK-Israel courier shipments of aircraft parts is unchanged since the government announced its official ban, which it claims indicates that these direct shipments have continued and are ongoing as of March 2025.
F-35s have played a pivotal role in Israel's destruction of Gaza, killing countless numbers of Palestinian people. A recent UN report identifying bombs carried by F-35s as having been used in "emblematic" cases of indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on Gaza, which "led to high numbers of civilian fatalities and widespread destruction of civilian objects".?
When announcing the partial suspension, the government stated that the direct supply of F-35 parts would present a "clear risk" that these would be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law in Gaza. This new report concludes that "by the government's own admission, this continued direct supply puts Britain at 'clear risk' of enabling Israel's violations of international law and therefore breaching the UK's obligations under international law". This is particularly concerning as the government will be in the High Court on Tuesday 13 May facing legal action challenging the legality of its arms exports to Israel.
The report alleges that Parliament and the public have been misled on this issue by statements made by Ministers in the House, citing several statements made by Ministers about the government having stopped direct supply of F-35 parts to Israel in September 2024.
The report refers to statements Ministers have made in the House of Commons, saying that "much of what we send [to Israel] is defensive in nature" such as "helmet[s] or goggles", and "not what we describe routinely as arms". The report claims that the UK has sent thousands of goods to Israel which are defined as arms and ammunition and alleges that these statements in the House were "untrue and misleading".
Many of us have also raised our objections over the UK's indirect supply of parts via its continued participation in the global F-35 programme - and we continue to demand a full and immediate arms embargo. Over 250 global organisations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International UK have called on the UK and other countries which supply F-35 parts to Israel to immediately halt both the indirect and direct transfer of F-35 components to Israel'. Their letter makes clear that as a party to the Arms Trade Treaty, the UK is required to prevent indirect as well as direct transfers of military equipment and technology, including parts and components, where there is an overriding risk that such equipment and technology could be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law or international human rights law.
We respectfully request that you come before the House to respond to the very serious allegations in this report, including the allegation that Parliament and the public have been misled about arms exports to Israel.
We urge the government to disclose the details of all arms exports to Israel since October 2023 and to immediately halt all arms exports to Israel. This could not be more urgent given the risk that British-made weapons could be used to enact Netanyahu's plan to annex Gaza and ethnically cleanse the Palestinian people. The public deserves to know the full scale of the UK's complicity in crimes against humanity.
We will keep campaigning for the truth, accountability and crucially-justice for the Palestinian people.
Yours sincerely,
Zarah Sultana MP
Diane Abbott MP
Shockat Adam MP
Apsana Begum MP
Sian Berry MP
Olivia Blake MP
Richard Burgon MP
Ian Byrne MP
Alistair Carmichael MP
Ellie Chowns MP
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Ann Davies MP
Carla Denyer MP
Dave Doogan MP
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
Sorcha Eastwood MP
Mary Kelly Foy MP
Andrew George MP
Claire Hanna MP
Imran Hussain MP
Ayoub Khan MP
Ben Lake MP
Peter Lamb MP
Ian Lavery MP
Chris Law MP
Graham Leadbitter MP
Brian Leishman MP
Rachael Maskell MP
Andy McDonald MP
John McDonnell MP
Llinos Medi MP
Iqbal Mohamed MP
Grahame Morris MP
Brendan O'Hara MP
Dr Simon Opher MP
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
Liz Saville Roberts MP
Cat Smith MP
Jon Trickett MP
Nadia Whittome MP
Pete Wishart MP
Steve Witherden MP
https://twitter.com/zarahsultana/status/1920883242380538160
