Britain’s partial ban on selling weapons to Israel should include parts for F-35 fighter jets used in the war in Gaza, a former Labour minister has said.
Clare Short, who quit Tony Blair’s Cabinet in 2003 over the Iraq War, questioned why the embargo did not cover equipment she said had “delivered most of the slaughter” in the current conflict.
The ban announced by Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Monday includes 30 items which the UK says are at risk of being used in violation of international humanitarian law.
Parts for F-35 fighter jets are not included in the arms embargo, unless they are to be directly exported to Israel.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said it was important that the UK remained part of the F-35 multinational joint strike fighter programme, including the contribution of pooled parts for the aircraft.
The UK Government says any suspension of those F-35 parts would have a “significant effect on the global F-35 fleet with serious implications for international peace and security”.
But critics of the war in Gaza say the UK would still risk contributing to international law violations by continuing to supply F-35 parts because they would still end up being used by Israel indirectly.
Ms Short told i: “What a pity it [the weapons ban] is so limited. Given that F-35s have delivered most of the slaughter, why not say no parts for F-35s for Israel.
“Labour should be committed to upholding international law. The ICJ ruling on Israel’s behaviour in the occupied territories requires more than this.”
Shortly before the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Ms Short, the then international development secretary, accused the prime minister of being “reckless” over the military operation, but was criticised when she did not resign from his Cabinet. She quit two months later, saying she had done so because Sir Tony had breached assurances over post-war reconstruction in Iraq.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has also called for the UK to suspend the supply of F-35 parts.
Mr Corbyn is a member of the new Independent Alliance of non-affiliated MPs, which also includes Adnan Hussain, Ayoub Khan, Iqbal Mohamed and Shockat Adam.
In a statement the alliance said the Government’s announcement “must be the first step in ending all arms to Israel”.
The group added: “That includes parts for F-35 fighter jets, used by the Israeli military to commit genocide in Gaza. And that includes weaponry being used by Israel in its egregious assault on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.”
The Government’s decision also continued to draw criticism from the Conservative Party.
Former Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Hamas is still holding many innocent Jewish hostages while Israel tries to prevent a repeat of the 7 October massacre. Why are Lammy and Starmer abandoning Israel? Do they want Hamas to win?”
And Tory leadership contender Tom Tugendhat, at the official launch of his candidacy, said: “Let’s just be clear what Labour has done. On the day that the Israeli government discovered the bodies of more hostages.
“On the day that they had to share that news of grief and torment with families, on the very day that we saw the real price of Hamas and the evil extremist violence that they’ve brought not just to Israel but also to the Palestinian people.
“On that day, the British Government decided that it was the right day to stand against Israel’s right to defend itself. And that’s a remarkable decision.
“And it will be a decision that is heard not just in Washington and Tel Aviv, because if we’re not willing to stand by our allies when they are literally discovering the bodies of their murdered citizens, what is the point of an alliance?”
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