Stephen pushes Trade Secretary to halt arms exports to Israel
Stephen has written to the International Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, outlining his concerns about arms exports to Israel. He asked what assessment Ms Badenoch’s department had made on the use of UK arms provided to Israel prior to 7 October.
In his letter, Stephen also raised a number of documents produced at a recent hearing at the High Court which looked at this issue. They showed that Ministers decided to continue arms sales to Israel despite serious concerns expressed by officials at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in December last year.
Speaking about his letter, Stephen said: “There is widespread concern about Israel’s conduct in this military operation, including serious allegations from the UN, and that it is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court.
“I believe this raises serious questions about compliance with the licence criteria, which the Government has a duty to assess and address as part of any export process. It is crucial that the Government guarantees the export criteria will be applied rigorously and robustly to Israel in light of the conduct of the conflict in Gaza.”
Update [23 April 2024]: The Minister for Industry and Economic Security has replied. It can be read here.