The Prime Minister
Actually, just before we get on to that, the right hon. and
learned Gentleman talked about a changed Labour
party—[Interruption.] This is important. He talked about a
changed Labour party; he talks about it a lot. He also talked
about his Mayor in London. Just this morning, we learned that the
Labour Mayor in London believes there is an “equivalence” between
the brutal terrorist attack of Hamas and Israel defending itself.
Let me be crystal clear: there is absolutely no equivalence
between a terrorist group and democratic state. Will he take this
opportunity to demonstrate that the Labour party has changed?
Will he condemn those comments from the Labour Mayor?
I know that was the last run-out before the general election, but
the Prime Minister is getting ahead of himself in asking me
questions.
I notice that the Prime Minister did not even attempt to answer
the question. He knows the answer: since he claimed victory 16
days ago, there have been a staggering 2,400 small boat
crossings. That is a gimmick, not a deterrent, and those 2,400
will be added to the Tories' asylum perma-backlog, which is
forecast to rise to 100,000 by the end of the year. The Prime
Minister pretends that he will remove them all to Rwanda, but
Rwanda can take only a few hundred a year. At that rate, his
grand plan would take over 300 years to remove them all. There
are tens of thousands of people with their claims going
unprocessed, who will be here for their entire lifetime, living
in hotels at the taxpayers' expense. It is absurd to call that
anything other than an amnesty handed to them by the Tory party,
isn't it?
The Prime Minister
The right hon. and learned Gentleman had the opportunity to
condemn the comments of his Mayor—a Mayor who said that there is
an “equivalence” between Hamas and Israel—and he did not do that.
Everyone will see: that is the changed Labour party right
there.
(Aberdeen South) (SNP)
May I begin by also congratulating the fantastic on becoming Scotland's First
Minister? Our opponents should be very careful what they wish
for.
As we await the imminent Israeli incursion into Rafah, where 1.2
million people are sheltering, including 600,000 children, it has
been reported that the United States has paused an arms shipment
to Israel. The UK will now follow suit, will it not?
The Prime Minister
The right hon. Gentleman may not realise that the UK Government
do not directly provide or ship arms to Israel. When it comes to
the situation in Rafah, I have been very clear that we are deeply
concerned about a full military incursion, given the devastating
humanitarian impact; I have made that point specifically to Prime
Minister Netanyahu whenever we have spoken. I will continue to
urge all sides to focus on the negotiations at hand, to bring
about a pause in the conflict, to release hostages and get more
aid in.
Let us be clear: the confidence that Israel has shown in its
military ambitions in Rafah stems from the silence of its allies
on the Front Benches in this place and elsewhere across the
world. We all know that UK arms and tech are supporting Israel's
activities in Gaza, and will be used in any attack on Rafah.
Knowing that, and the devastation that will occur, surely the
time has come to end our complicity and halt arms sales to
Israel.
The Prime Minister
Of course we take our defence export responsibilities extremely
seriously. That is why we operate one of the most robust
licensing control regimes anywhere in the world. We periodically
review advice on Israel's commitment to international
humanitarian law, and Ministers always act in accordance with
that advice. That is crystal clear for the House to understand.
Following the most recent assessment, our position on export
licences is unchanged. I know that the right hon. Gentleman will
join me in urging all parties to engage in the negotiations, so
that we can see a pause in fighting to get more aid in, hostages
out and bring about a sustainable ceasefire in this conflict.
