Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy MP
At tonight’s opposition day debate on a ceasefire in Gaza in the House of Commons, shadow foreign secretary and LFI parliamentary supporter David Lammy MP set out Labour’s view of the terms needed for a sustainable ceasefire.
Lammy said: “Labour supports an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, a stop to fighting by both sides now, the release of hostages, a surge of aid into Gaza, and a two-state solution.”
“For any ceasefire to work, it must, by necessity, be observed by both sides, or it is not a ceasefire. That is why we are clear that Israel cannot be expected to cease fighting if Hamas continue with violence. Israelis have the right to the assurance that the horror of 7 October cannot happen again.”
“That is why I say that a ceasefire, by necessity, means both sides. Hon. Members should be very careful not to vote for the appearance of this House taking one side, however concerned we are about the loss of innocent life.”
“We are also absolutely clear that we should do nothing in this Chamber that cuts across the hard work of Arab partners, EU partners, the United States and our Five Eyes allies that are in the room trying to broker that peace.”
“It is crystal clear that if we expect Israel to lay down its arms, we must ask Hamas to do the same.”
You can read the full debate here.