UK politics – latest: Israel furious as Britain suspends arms sales, Tugendhat prepares Tory leadership bid

Former British diplomat and national security adviser Lord Peter Ricketts said the government’s decision to suspend some arms exports to Israel was made to protect the “integrity” of the UK’s arms export system.

Lord Ricketts told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “They’ve been very careful, I think.

“They’ve gone into this thoroughly, and they’ve concluded that although they can’t pin individual weapons systems to individual acts in Gaza – because there aren’t the number of observers on the ground to see it – they’ve reached a conclusion that there are certain weapons where there is a clear risk that if they were supplied, they would be used in a way that breaches international humanitarian law.

“And that is one of the conditions in the licenses that we serve to all countries that get British arms.

“So I think their move is about the integrity of the arms export system, rather than any hope that it might change Netanyahu’s mind, which it clearly won’t.”

Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, has strongly criticised the decision to suspend some arms exports to Israel

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “On the day that those beautiful people were being buried, kidnapped from a music festival like Reading or Glastonbury, the UK decides to send a signal that it’s Israel that it wants to penalise, and that is a terrible, terrible message to be sending both to Israel in its hour of need, also to Hamas about the consequences – where consequences are for the horrific actions that Hamas has taken as a terrorist organisation, but also to other allies and adversaries around the world.

“So it is the wrong decision taken very much at the wrong time.”

Sir Keir Starmer has let his children get a new kitten while they live at Downing Street, after “a long summer of negotiations” about a dog, the Prime Minister has revealed.

A “Siberian kitten” will be the Starmer family’s new pet, Sir Keir revealed in a BBC 5 Live interview with Matt Chorley.

The prime minister was asked for an update on remarks he made during the summer general election campaign that his children were lobbying him to get a German shepherd dog.

8.30am – Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet have their first meeting since the summer recess.

10.30am – Tory leadership candidate Tom Tugendhat will launch his leadership campaign in central London.

11.30am – Urgent Treasury questions will take place in the Commons with chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill will go through the House today.

Over at the House of Lords a debate will take place at 3.20pm on the first report from the Covid inquiry.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Boris Johnson has accused Sir Keir Starmer and David Lammy of “abandoning” Israel.

He said: “Hamas is still holding many innocent Jewish hostages while Israel tries to prevent a repeat of the 7th October massacre. Why are Lammy and Starmer abandoning Israel? Do they want Hamas to win?”

Defence secretary John Healey said the UK’s decision to suspend some arms exports would not weaken Israel’s security.

He told Times Radio: “It will not have a material impact on Israel’s security.”

Mr Healey said he informed his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about the suspension before it was announced.

“As I said to the defence minister Yoav Gallant yesterday when I spoke to him before the announcement, we have a duty to follow the law, but this does not alter our unshakable commitment to support Israel’s right to self-defence and to the defence of Israel if it comes under direct attack again, just as UK jets back in April helped intercept Iranian drones and missiles that were targeted directly at Israeli civilians.”

Mr Healey said Mr Gallant “found the call unwelcome”.

“That’s not surprising, but sometimes your closest friends are the ones that need to tell the hardest truths.”

Britain’s chief rabbi criticised the government’s decision to suspend some arms export licences to Israel only a few days after the killing of six Israeli hostages in Gaza.

“It beggars belief that the British government, a close strategic ally of Israel, has announced a partial suspension of arms licences,” Ephraim Mirvis said on X.

He said the move would bolster unfounded claims that Israel was in breach of international humanitarian law.

“Sadly, this announcement will serve to encourage our shared enemies,” Mirvis said. “It will not help to secure the release of the remaining 101 hostages, nor contribute to the peaceful future we wish and pray for, for all people in the region and beyond.”

Israel has reacted with fury after the UK suspended around 30 arms export licences to Israel amid concerns a “clear risk” exists that they could be used to breach international humanitarian law.

Foreign secretary David Lammy told the House of Commons on Monday that a review conducted by the UK government could not “arbitrate on whether or not Israel has breached international humanitarian law” in Gaza, but ministers have a legal duty to review export licences.

He said Israel had a right to defend itself but he said that he was not satisfied with answers after he had raised concerns with the Israeli government.

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said he was “deeply disheartened” by what he described as “sanctions placed by the UK government on export licenses to Israel‘s defence establishment”.

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