The Foreign Secretary appeared before the House of Commons to give a statement on the strikes traded between Israel and Iran. Britain has a role to play in pushing for de-escalation and restraint from both parties. But UK military aircraft have been deployed ready to protect Israel, IDF troops continue to be trained in the UK, and UK arms sales to Israel continue, including F-35 parts.

In my question, I asked the government whether it accepts that calls for de-escalation are undermined by its consistent bolstering of Israel’s military, even as the Gaza genocide continues. You do not have to support the Iranian regime’s repression of its people, its persecution of women and minorities, or its destabilising regional role to acknowledge that another campaign of indiscriminate bombing only undermines long-term prospects of a just or lasting peace. You do not build democracies with bullets and bombs.