UK halts trade talks with Israel as Lammy warns Gaza conflict entering ‘dark, new phase’

David Lammy has announced that negotiations over a free trade deal between the UK and Israel have been “suspended”.

The foreign secretary delivered a statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday, with the UK government looking to ramp up pressure on its Israeli counterparts. Lammy warned of the  “abominable” situation in Gaza and expressed his fear that the conflict is entering a “dark, new phase”.

He said: “Civilians in Gaza facing starvation, homelessness, trauma, desperate for this war to end, now confront renewed bombardment, new displacement and new suffering…

“We are now entering a dark, new phase in this conflict. [Benjamin] Netanyahu’s government is plotting to drive Gazans from their homes into a corner of the strip to the south and permit them a fraction of the aid that they need.”

Lammy added: “Therefore, today I’m announcing that we have suspended negotiations with this Israeli government on a new free trade agreement.

“We will be reviewing cooperation with them under the 2030 bilateral roadmap. The Netanyahu government’s actions have made this necessary… Today my honourable friend, the minister for the Middle East, is summoning the Israeli ambassador’s foreign office to convey this message.”

The foreign secretary went on to criticise the Conservative frontbench for refusing to repeat his condemnation of the actions pursued by the Netanyahu government.

Lammy said: “It seems that the Conservative Party, or at least the current frontbench, is refusing to confront the appalling reality of what is happening in Gaza and what the Netanyahu government is doing.

“The honourable lady [shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel] seems incapable of offering any serious criticism about the egregious actions by the Netanyahu government, unlike many honourable members on her own side.

“I think the whole House should be able to utterly condemn the Israeli government’s denial of food to hungry children.”

Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.