Statement on Gaza Ten Minute Rule Bill

Thank you for getting in touch with me following Jeremy Corbyn’s 10 Minute Rule Bill on Gaza. 
 
The scenes which we have all witnessed in Gaza have been utterly devastating. The Netanyahu Government’s decision to comprehensively block all aid to the Strip, while also expanding its military action - with the intention of occupying all of Gaza - is abhorrent. 
 
My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I are determined to hold the Labour Government to account for its lack of action, and particularly its unwillingness to exert genuine pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu to allow a full restoration of aid access to Gaza and cease his military campaign. 
 
The only way to ensure our demands are heard is to speak them from a position of legitimacy and credibility. 
 
I wanted to take this opportunity to explain a little about how 10 Minute Rule Bills work. They receive a short debate of no more than fifteen minutes, in which no more than two MPs can speak. While there is occasionally a vote on the Bill, on this day there was not - and unless they are adopted by the Government, that effectively marks the end of their passage through Parliament. This Bill was not adopted by the Government. 
 
To keep up genuine pressure on the Government to do more, I supported a Parliamentary Motion put forward by my Party Leader, Sir Ed Davey, which would deliver immediate results to alleviate suffering in Gaza. It calls on the Government to go much further and faster in applying pressure to the Israeli Government. This included calling on the Government to: 
 

• Immediately sanction Israeli Ministers Ben-Gvir, Smotrich and Katz, who have consistently called for the dispossession of Palestinians;
• Immediately suspend the 2030 roadmap for UK-Israel bilateral relations, until the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is alleviated;
• In lieu of imminent action by the Israeli Government to allow full aid access to Gaza and draw back its military campaign, to expand sanctions to Israeli Ministers and Members of the Knesset who support continuing the blockade and military action; 

Finally recognise the state of Palestine, showing beyond doubt the UK’s commitment to Palestinians’ right to self-determination and a two-state solution as the only just, political settlement. 
 
You can read that motion in full here. 
 
I am absolutely committed to continuing to push the Government to adopt Liberal Democrat proposals which would, if implemented, apply genuine pressure to Prime Minister Netanyahu and alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe which we’re seeing in Gaza, ensure the release of the hostages and open the door to a two-state solution. 
 
Liberal Democrats continue to be the leading voice in Parliament calling on the Government to finally adopt a robust response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Our Party Leader, Ed Davey, has raised this multiple times at Prime Minister’s Questions - asking Keir Starmer what more action the Government will take to alleviate the suffering of Gazans. 
 
Thank you once again for raising this important issue with me. Please do not hesitate to get in touch again about any issue of concern.