
Doctor Who star and Dame Judi Dench join calls to end arms sales to Israel
Some 400 people have now signed the letter, with the new signatories including actors Stanley Tucci and Florence Pugh, former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw and musicians Paul Weller and Self Esteem.
As well as suspending UK arms sales to Israel, the letter calls on Sir Keir Starmer to 'use all available means' to ensure humanitarian aid gets in to the territory.
Dame Judi Dench has signed the letter (Jordan Pettitt/PA)
It also urges the Prime Minister to 'make a commitment to the children of Gaza' that he would broker an 'immediate and permanent ceasefire'.
Josie Naughton, CEO of Choose Love, said: 'Since we urged the Government to end its complicity in the horrors of Gaza, more people have added their voice to our call.
'We cannot be silent while children are being killed and families are being starved.'
Following publication of the initial letter in May, Choose Love staged a vigil outside Parliament in which a number of signatories read out the names of 15,613 children killed in Gaza.
Ministers have already suspended licences for some arms sales to Israel but activists have demanded that the Government goes further, imposing a total ban including on parts for the F-35 jet.
But the Government has said halting the export of spare F-35 parts is not possible as the UK is part of a global supply network and cannot control where those parts end up.
Last week, the Government also sanctioned two Israeli ministers it accused of 'inciting violence against Palestinian people' and 'encouraging egregious abuses of human rights'.
Ms Naughton added: 'The situation is changing by the second, but until the UK Government has halted all arms sales and licences to Israel, ensured that humanitarian aid can reach people starving inside Gaza and stopped the killing, they will not have done enough.'
A Government spokesperson said: 'We strongly oppose the expansion of military operations in Gaza and call on the Israeli Government to cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid.'
'The denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza is unacceptable and risks breaching international humanitarian law.'
'Last year, we suspended export licences to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza and continue to refuse licences for military goods that could be used by Israel in the current conflict.'
'We urge all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire agreement and work towards a permanent and sustainable peace.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


NBC News
26 minutes ago
- NBC News
Israel-Iran live updates: Conflict enters 9th day as diplomacy falters
CONFLICT ENTERS 9TH DAY: Iran sent a missile barrage into Israel early this morning, sending millions into bomb shelters but with no reported casualties. Israel continued to strike military sites in Iran. NO BREAKTHROUGHS ON INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY: A summit in Geneva yesterday with Iran's foreign minister and European leaders yielded no signs of a breakthrough. At the United Nations Security Council, Iran and Israel traded insults in a heated but ultimately inconclusive meeting. U.S. POSITION: Trump dismissed the European effort, suggesting that a diplomatic solution would require U.S. involvement. On Thursday, he opened a two-week window for negotiations with Iran, delaying a decision on a U.S. military strike on Iranian nuclear sites. IRAN AND ISRAEL: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Iran was not sure it could trust the U.S., and that they would not negotiate 'as long as the aggression continues.' The Israeli military chief said yesterday that the country is ready for 'a prolonged campaign' against Iran. NUCLEAR SITE RISKS: The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said Israel's strikes on Iranian nuclear power sites have caused some radiological leaks. There is no danger to the public for now, he said,'but there is a danger this could still happen.' HUNDREDS KILLED: Israeli strikes have so far killed at least 630 people in Iran, The Associated Press reported, citing a Washington-based human rights group. The Iranian health ministry says more than 2,500 people have been wounded. The death toll in Israel from Iran's retaliatory strikes remains at 24.

The National
34 minutes ago
- The National
Presiding Officer to step down at Holyrood 2026 election
Alison Johnstone has been in the role since 2021 and was the sixth person – and only the second woman – to hold the position. She entered politics in 2007 when she was elected as a Scottish Greens councillor in Edinburgh. READ MORE: Kate Forbes: Numbers prove that the world is ignoring those who talk Scotland down She was then elected as an MSP in 2011, and 10 years later became the first Scottish Greens party member to take up the role of Presiding Officer. Alison Johnstone (Image: PA) Announcing her decision to step down, Johnstone told The Times that "it was always my intention that this would be my last term in Holyrood". 'I came from a wholly non-political background and got involved in a campaign to save a school playing field," she said. 'I was not in a political party but campaigned for the creation of a Scottish parliament and I then worked as an assistant for Robin Harper, the first-ever Green parliamentarian in the UK elected to the first-ever Scottish parliament.' Most recently, Johnstone made headlines after she expelled former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross from the debating chamber after he refused to follow rules. Ross tried to bring the matter up a week later, and was slapped down again after he inferred Johnstone had not acted in a "neutral manner". READ MORE: UK Government 'set to proscribe Palestine Action after RAF protest' Holyrood's Presiding Officer is impartial – when MSPs take up the role, they give up their party affiliation. They are responsible for chairing meetings in the debating chamber, selecting which questions will be asked at First Minister's Questions, as well as chairing Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and Parliamentary Bureau meetings. The Presiding Officer is supported by two deputies – currently Annabelle Ewing (SNP) and Liam McArthur (LibDem). According to the Scottish Parliament website, the Presiding Officer receives a salary of £130,500.


ITV News
3 hours ago
- ITV News
Israel and Iran launch fresh strikes as conflict enters second week
Israel and Iran launched fresh strikes in the early hours of Saturday morning as the conflict enters its second week. It comes as Iran's top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, said Tehran would not negotiate while Israel's attacks continue. His comments followed a meeting with foreign ministers from the UK, France and Germany on Friday, which failed to make progress in de-escalating the conflict. 'Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes,' he told reporters. He added that any attack on Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities would be a grave breach of international law, reiterating that Tehran's defensive capabilities are "not negotiable". No date was set for the next round of talks. Following the meeting, US President Donald Trump said Europe can't help in brokering an end to the conflict, adding that it is a "very hard" request to ask Israel to stop. He added: "It's a little bit hard to get somebody to stop," saying, "Israel's doing very well in terms of war, and I think you would say that Iran is doing less well." He said Iran "doesn't want to speak to Europe" and that the country "wants to speak to us". He adds: "Europe is not going to be able to help at this point". Early on Saturday, Iranian missiles were intercepted over Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Ramallah in the West Bank. An Iranian nuclear site was also targeted by Israel, according to reports from local media. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue 'for as long as it takes' to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear programme and arsenal of ballistic missiles. Israel's top general echoed the warning, saying the Israeli military was ready 'for a prolonged campaign.' However, Iran's underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility is considered to only be reachable by America's 'bunker-buster' bombs. Earlier this week, Trump said he will make a decision on US military action in Iran "within two weeks". The conflict erupted on June 13, with Israeli airstrikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Most have been shot down by Israel's multitiered air defences, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded.