Three ministers responsible for arms exports to Israel have been summoned by parliament’s committee overseeing UK exports to explain possible loopholes in the rules.
Liam Byrne, the chair of the business select committee has ordered the trade minister, Douglas Alexander, and the relevant ministers from the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence and to offer urgent explanations.
MPs are concerned that arms companies may be using the partial nature of the arms export ban imposed last September by the UK to send weaponry to Israel for use in Gaza, in breach of an undertaking by ministers.
In his letter, Byrne raises concerns about statistics published on Friday that showed that in the fourth quarter of 2024 – after Labour’s partial arms export ban to Israel was imposed – the UK government nevertheless approved licences for £127.6m of military equipment to Israel. This is greater than the combined total for 2020-23, according to Campaign against the Arms Trade.
Challenged on these figures by the independent Labour MP Zarah Sultana in the Commons on Tuesday, the foreign secretary, David Lammy, said he did not recognise the number and accused her of sensationalising the issue. He assured MPs “arms are not getting to Israel that could be used in Gaza”.
However, the latest figures show the government authorised more than £61m in single-issue licences for military goods with an end user in Israel. This included licences for goods categories covering targeting systems, munitions and military aircraft parts.
In his letter, Byrne points out that ministers assured MPs that the ban covered “equipment that we assess is for use in the current conflict in Gaza, such as important components that go into military aircraft, including fighter aircraft, helicopters and drones, as well as items that facilitate ground targeting”.
He asks for an explanation for the increase and the proportion of arms going to the Israeli state.
In addition, he has asked for the release of statistics on the number of licences that have been changed to remove Israel as the end user.
The high court last week conducted a four-day judicial review of the UK government’s claim that it was lawful for the UK to sell components for F-35 fighter jets indirectly to Israel even though there was an acknowledged ministerial acceptance that those parts could be transferred for use in planes to bomb Gaza.
Meanwhile, Labour MPs and human rights groups welcomed Lammy’s hardening in tone concerning the blockade of aid into Gaza on Tuesday, but almost every Labour backbencher who spoke during the 90-minute session expressed anger that ministers had only suspended talks on an expanded free trade deal with Israel, and hinted at further unspecified concrete measures.
