Downing Street has slapped down David Lammy after he claimed in the Commons that Israel broke international law during the war in Gaza.
The Foreign Secretary accused it of a “breach of international law” by withholding aid supplies when he spoke in a debate on Monday. But Downing Street insisted the position of the Government had not changed, indicating that he had misspoken in the chamber.
Asked whether Mr Lammy had been speaking for the whole Government, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “I think as the Foreign Secretary said, and the CDL [Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster] said on the morning round, our position remains that Israel’s actions in Gaza are at clear risk of breaching international humanitarian law.
“And we continue to call on the government of Israel to abide by its international obligations when it comes to humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza.”
He said the UK did not want “to see a return to fighting” after reports of more than 300 civilian casualties as a result of Israeli air strikes targeting Hamas overnight.
Asked whether Mr Lammy would correct the record in the House to reflect the Government position, the spokesman said: “I’m just reiterating our policy, and I’m just saying that it’s obviously a question for the Foreign Office in relation to the parliamentary issues you raise.”
The spokesman declined to say whether Sir Keir Starmer had spoken to Mr Lammy about the remarks. He also refused to be drawn on whether Mr Lammy had misspoken.
Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said: “David Lammy’s absolute focus should be on securing the release of the 59 remaining hostages held by Hamas since the atrocities of October 7 2023. The release of the hostages is key to a sustainable end to this conflict and to building a better future.
“Hamas has no respect for international law, human life or human rights. Now is the time for maximum pressure on Hamas. Labour should be clear that there is no moral equivalence between Hamas and the democratically elected government of Israel, and we must have no more poorly-judged decisions on arms exports designed to placate Labour backbenchers.”
Asked whether the Prime Minister was comfortable with the record in the House being incorrect, his spokesman said: “I’m just reiterating our policy, and I’m just saying that it’s obviously a question for the Foreign Office in relation to the parliamentary issues you raise.”
It came after the Foreign Secretary’s department also backtracked on the remarks. A Foreign Office spokesman said: “The Foreign Secretary’s position remains that Israel’s actions in Gaza are at clear risk of breaching international humanitarian law.”
The UK has long taken the position that Israel is “at risk” of breaking international law, but did not explicitly accuse it of a breach until Mr Lammy’s remarks.
Rupa Huq, the Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton, spoke during the debate on Monday to accuse Israel of taking “provocative action during Ramadan” by blocking aid. She went on to ponder the possible consequences of what “people are saying is a breach of international law”.
Mr Lammy replied: “This is a breach of international law. Israel quite rightly must defend its own security. But we find the lack of aid – it’s now been 15 days since aid got into Gaza – unacceptable, hugely alarming and very worrying.
“We would urge Israel to get back to the amount of trucks we were seeing – way beyond 600 – so Palestinians can get the necessary humanitarian support that they need at this time.”
Over the past two weeks, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has blocked humanitarian aid, including food, fuel and medicine, from entering Gaza, putting further pressure on Hamas to abide by a fragile ceasefire.
Israel restarted its war against Hamas on Tuesday morning, launching air strikes that killed at least 300 people and injured dozens more. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that it had “resumed fighting” against the terror group after talks on the release of further hostages stalled.
The Telegraph understands the “extensive strikes” on Gaza targeted leadership officials, mid-ranking military commanders and terrorist infrastructure belonging to Hamas.
In the 17 months since the Oct 7 terror attacks, the UK has sought to strike a balance between supporting Israel’s right to defend itself and insisting on a “proportionate” response.
At Prime Minister’s Questions last week, Sir Keir said he was “appalled” by reports of Israel blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza. He had defied many in Labour in the weeks after the Oct 7 massacre, when figures on the Left of the party were demanding an immediate ceasefire without any conditions.
Ten MPs quit or were sacked from the front bench in December 2023 for supporting an SNP motion demanding a ceasefire.
Hundreds of thousands of Muslim voters turned against the party at the last election over Labour’s response to the conflict.
Sir Keir has adjusted Labour’s position five times on the conflict and called for a cessation of hostilities late in 2023. This position was subsequently adopted by Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives.
Compliance with international law has been a pillar of Sir Keir’s time in Number 10. It has been cited as the basis for his controversial Chagos Islands deal, which will see the strategically important archipelago in the Indian Ocean handed to Mauritius.
