I have joined a cross-party groups of parliamentarians to write to the government about export licenses for items that could be used in the current conflict in Gaza.

We are jointly seeking for a full explanation to be provided to parliament as to why the F-35 fighter jet programme has been exempted from the suspension of arms exports except for those going directly to Israel, and how it is consistent with the UK’s international obligations.

As our letter states:

“The government has admitted it cannot license the direct transfer of F-35 components to Israel because of the clear risk of serious international humanitarian law violations, but it has not suspended licenses to export UK-made F-35 components to Israel as an end user via third-party countries, including the United States.”

The new government’s announcement on 2nd September to suspend around 30 out of 350 export licenses is welcome. It is a significant step forward, given the Conservative government’s refusal to take any action on this matter. But the government can and must go further.