Key events
UK ‘complicit in genocide’ in Gaza, because it has not ended all arms supplies, Jeremy Corbyn claims
In a statement about the latest decision from the Israeli government, the independent MP and former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has restated his claim that the UK is complicit in genocide.
If the government was truly horrified by Israel’s occupation of Gaza, it would stop supplying them with the weapons they need to carry it out.
The prime minister can condemn Israel’s plans all he wants. He cannot hide the truth: his government is complicit in genocide.
John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, says Israel’s decision to occupy Gaza City is “completely and utterly unacceptable”. In a message on social media, the SNP leader said:
The decision of the Israeli government to seize control of Gaza City is completely and utterly unacceptable. It will create even more human suffering for the Palestinian people and further escalate the conflict. The international community must stop Israel and secure a ceasefire.
The Green party has also called for the end of all arms sales to Israel. Ellie Chowns, the Green MP and a candidate to be co-leader in the current leadership contest, posted this on social media.
Netanyahu’s brutal plan to take control of Gaza is yet another declaration of intent to commit war crimes. The UK must do more than express disapproval: end military cooperation and arms sales, recognise Palestine, demand an immediate ceasefire and accountability for war crimes.
Ed Davey urges Starmer to end all arms sales to Israel, and place entire Israeli cabinet under sanctions, after Gaza City takeover decision
The Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, has also condemned Israel’s decision to expand the takeover of Gaza. Davey said:
[Benjamin] Netanyahu’s plans to occupy the whole of Gaza are utterly abhorrent – and it’s increasingly clear that his goal is ethnic cleansing.
This plan will only serve to wreak more devastation on the lives of millions of Gazans – whose homes and communities have already been destroyed – while endangering the lives of those hostages still held by Hamas.
Rather than sitting on its hands and issuing strongly worded statements, the UK government needs to take decisive action. Keir Starmer needs to stop the export of all UK arms to Israel – today – and sanction Netanyahu and his cabinet.
Rupert Lowe reports charity rowers to coastguard as possible ‘illegal migrants’
The independent MP Rupert Lowe has agreed to donate £1,000 to a charity after mistaking its rowing crew, including a former Royal Marine, for “illegal migrants”, Kevin Rawlinson reports.
Here is the message that Lowe posted on X last night about the “illegal migrants”.
Dinghies coming into Great Yarmouth, RIGHT NOW.
Authorities alerted, and I am urgently chasing.
If these are illegal migrants, I will be using every tool at my disposal to ensure these individuals are deported.
Enough is enough. Britain needs mass deportations. NOW. pic.twitter.com/1mCg0ljRQ4
— Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) August 7, 2025
Quite why Lowe thought small boat migrants might be landing at Great Yarmouth is a mystery. It is 90 nautical miles from Calais (from where the boats normally leave), and 85 nautical miles from Dover (where they normally land, or are brought shore).
And here is the message Lowe posted this morning owning up to his mistake.
Good news. False alarm! The unknown vessel was charity rowers, thank goodness.
As a well done to the crew, I’ll donate £1,000 to their charity – raising money for MND.
Keep going, and watch out for any real illegal migrants!
We received a huge number of urgent complaints from constituents – I make no apologies over being vigilant for my constituents. It is a national crisis.
No mass deportations for the charity rowers, but we definitely need it for the illegal migrants!
Keir Starmer denounces Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, saying it will ‘only bring more bloodshed’
Good morning. Keir Starmer has this morning denounced the Israeli government’s decision to take over Gaza City, agreed overnight, saying it will “only bring more bloodshed”. He has been under growing pressure for a long time, from within the Labour party, as well as from the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and the Corbyn/Sultana independent leftwingers, to be more critical of Israel, and that led to the decision last week to recognise the state of Palestine. This morning’s statement, which will almost certainly have no practical impact but which is marginally stronger than what Starmer has been saying in the past, is fresh evidence of a shift in thinking.
In his statement, Starmer said:
The Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately. This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed.
Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions. What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution. Hamas can play no part in the future of Gaza and must leave as well as disarm.
Together with our allies, we are working on a long-term plan to secure peace in the region as part of a two-state solution, and ultimately achieve a brighter future for Palestinians and Israelis.
But without both sides engaging in good faith in negotiations, that prospect is vanishing before our eyes. Our message is clear: a diplomatic solution is possible, but both parties must step away from the path of destruction.
Amy Sedghi has more coverage, with the global perspective, on our Middle East live blog.
There is not much happening in UK politics today, but the only item in the diary is David Lammy, the foreign secretary, hosting JD Vance, the US vice-president, at Chevening. Vance is starting a family holiday in England, and the visit is mostly social (Daniel Boffey has a good account of the counter-intuitive Lammy/Vance friendship here), but the two men are also due to have a formal bilateral at around lunchtime and Gaza is bound to come up.
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