UK accused of ‘lying’ after thousands of weapons sent to Israel despite export ban

The UK government has been accused of “lying” about its arms exports to Israel after a new investigation revealed that thousands of military items, including munitions and armoured vehicle parts, were sent to Israel despite an official export ban. The revelations have sparked outrage, with calls for a full inquiry and the possibility of resignations.

The findings come from a detailed analysis of Israeli import data conducted by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Progressive International and Workers for a Free Palestine, which were reported in the Guardian. The research contradicts repeated assurances by Foreign Secretary David Lammy that UK arms exports to Israel were “defensive in nature” and did not contribute to the ongoing war in Gaza.

In September 2024, the Labour government under Keir Starmer suspended 29 arms export licences over concerns they could be used in violations of international humanitarian law. However, the suspension left over 200 licences in place, including a controversial exemption for equipment related to the F-35 fighter jet programme, on grounds of national security and obligations to maintaining NATO supply chains.

READ: Downing Street defends arms sales suspension after Netanyahu backlash

Despite the stated ban, the new study found that since October 2023, at least 14 separate military shipments were sent from the UK to Israel, 13 by air to Ben Gurion airport, and one by sea to Haifa, which alone contained 160,000 military items. Since the September suspension, the UK reportedly exported 8,630 items categorised under “bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines, missiles and similar munitions of war.”

In addition, four shipments included 146 items listed under the code for “tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles” and their parts, raising further questions about whether the UK is in breach of its own export controls.

The data also suggests that monthly shipments of aircraft parts from the UK to Israel have remained steady, despite the government’s claim that F-35 parts would only be sent to the US manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, and not directly to Israel.

Responding to the revelations, former Labour Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said: “The government has shrouded its arms supplies to Israel in secrecy. They must finally come clean in response to this extremely concerning evidence and halt all British arms exports to Israel to ensure no British-made weapons are used in Netanyahu’s new and terrifying plans to annex the Gaza Strip and ethnically cleanse the land.”

Zarah Sultana, MP for Coventry South, added: “This explosive report shows the government has been lying to us about the arms it is supplying to Israel while it wages genocide in Gaza. Far from ‘helmets and goggles’, the government has been sending thousands of arms and ammunition goods.”

A Foreign Office spokesperson defended the government’s position, stating: “This government has suspended relevant licences for the IDF that might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza. Of the remaining licences, the vast majority are for civilian purposes or re-export… The only exemption is the F-35 programme due to its strategic role in NATO.”

The government has yet to provide a public breakdown of what the remaining licences cover, leaving open critical questions about oversight, enforcement and accountability. Campaigners and MPs continue to demand transparency and a complete halt to all military exports to Israel while the genocide in Gaza continues.

READ: Save the Children calls on UK to ‘end its complicity’, halt all arms sales to Israel