On Tuesday, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy was challenged in parliament on the figures related to approved licences for military equipment to Israel.
Three UK ministers responsible for arms exports to Israel have been summoned by parliament’s export oversight committee to explain possible loopholes in the rules, the Guardian reported on Wednesday.
“We have questions about the department’s export licensing statistics released on 15 May which indicate that the UK approved licenses for ￡127.6 million worth of military equipment to Israel in single issue licenses between October to December 2024,” Liam Byrne, the chair of the business select committee, said in a letter addressed to the Trade Minister Douglas Alexander.
“I understand this is greater than the combined total for 2020-23,” he added.
Byrne has ordered Alexander and the relevant ministers from the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence to offer urgent explanations, the report noted.
Suspension of Licences
Byrne said “these licences were approved after the Foreign Secretary’s announcement on 2 September 2024, in which he told the House that the Government had suspended licenses for ‘equipment that we assess is for use in the current conflict in Gaza, such as important compotents that go into military aircraft, including fighter aircraft, helicopters and drones, as well as items that facilitate ground targeting’,” citing the House of Commons Official Report, September 2, 2024.
Chair @LiamByrneMP wrote to Minister @D_G_Alexander seeking urgent clarity on UK arms export licences to Israel. Transparency & accountability are crucial for effective oversight. We’ve called for more transparency and a further evidence session with ministers.
Read our letter:
— Business and Trade Committee (@CommonsBTC) May 21, 2025
Byrne noted that three months later, Alexander had “assured us‚—as did Minister Doughty and officials—that licences had been suspended for items that might be used in carrying out or facilitating” Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
“However, we have now heard concerns that most of the licences subsequently agreed were for military radars, components and software as well as targeting equipment,” Byrne continued.
Byrne requested “the reasons for the increase in the value of approved export licences in respect of Israel, an analysis of the types of items that will be exported and how this compares to previous years …; and what proportion of the items are intended for use by the IDF or any other part of the Israeli state.”
Lammy Challenged on Figures
On Tuesday, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy was challenged in parliament on the figures related to approved licences for military equipment to Israel by the independent Labour MP Zarah Sultana.
On Tuesday, MP Zarah Sultana challenged Foreign Secretary David Lammy on UK arms sales to Israel. Lammy said arms used in Gaza were banned and called Sultana “keen on clickbait.”#UK #British #Parliament #MP #Gaza #Arms #Israel #Lammy #clickbait pic.twitter.com/4HwpPzpF72
— British Muslim TV (@BritishMuslimTV) May 21, 2025
Lammy said he did not recognise the number and “accused her of sensationalising the issue,” reported The Guardian, while assuring MPs “arms are not getting to Israel that could be used in Gaza”.
UK-Israel Trade Talks Halted
He also announced the suspension of negotiations on a new free trade deal with Israel, as well as the summoning of the Israeli ambassador over Tel Aviv’s military escalation and blockade of aid to the besieged enclave.
In a joint statement on Monday, the UK, France and Canada condemned “the expansion” of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, saying the “level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable.”
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel, Summons Ambassador over Gaza Escalation
The governments warned they would take concrete action against Israel if it does not immediately halt its ongoing military assault on the enclave and end its restrictions on humanitarian aid.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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