Palestine

I share my constituents’ utter horror at the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe unleashed on Gaza. The international community has failed the Palestinian people. I have always stood on the side of international law, and I support the ongoing investigation by the International Court of Justice to hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable. There must be a reckoning. In 2025, I visited the region myself to see how the UK can better support and protect innocent civilians caught up in this dreadful conflict.  

I also have serious concerns about Israel’s increasingly flagrant violations of international law in the West Bank. As Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, my team and I led an inquiry into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and urged the Government to officially recognise Palestine. I am pleased the Government accepted this recommendation and honoured that President Abbas thanked me personally for the work I have done to support Palestine.  

However, I have consistently said that recognition itself is not sufficient, we must put our money where our mouth is and work with our international partners to support the State of Palestine. I continue to call on the Government to respond to this emergency with the urgency it demands. 

I have signed this letter organised by the Council for Arab-British Understanding, which calls on the UK Government to: 

• Impose a complete and total ban on all trade and interaction with Israeli settlements and the occupation itself; 

• Introduce further sanctions against illegal Israeli settlers and settler groups; 

• Publish, as it has promised, its formal response to the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on the unlawfulness of the occupation.