Oral Answers to Questions

Dawn Butler Excerpts

Wednesday 23rd October 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

The hon. Member might not have been in this place—I welcome him to his place now—in the last Parliament, but it was his Government who left the £22 billion black hole, his Government who left us with the biggest housing crisis, his Government who crashed the economy and his Government who saw inflation go to 11%, where pensioners were worse off than they are now.

[Dawn Butler (Brent East) (Lab)]

Q9. I watched in horror and condemned the act of 7 October by the terrorist group Hamas. A year later, I watch in horror as 42,000 people are killed in Gaza, 11,000 of them children. People have been burned alive attached to drips, aid workers have been killed and now families are starving. Our right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said that the world will not stand by and see the lack of humanitarian assistance. If the Israeli Government will not listen to our Prime Minister’s words, what tangible, measurable actions will we take as the UK Government?

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this serious and important issue. The humanitarian situation in northern Gaza is dire. We need an immediate ceasefire, much more aid allowed to flow in and an immediate release of all the hostages. We have suspended UK export licences to Israel for items that might be used in the current conflict. The Government have concluded that there is a clear risk that items exported to Israel might be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza. That does not change our position of steadfast support for Israel’s security, but we will always do so in a manner consistent with our obligations under domestic and international law.