Jeremy Corbyn said that for the past 18 months, “human beings have endured a level of horror and inhumanity that should haunt us all forever.”
Independent British MP Jeremy Corbyn’s request for an independent public inquiry into the UK’s involvement in Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip passed its 1st reading in Parliament on Wednesday.
The bill was presented under the Ten-Minute Rule immediately after Prime Minister’s Questions.
My call for an independent inquiry into the UK’s role in Gaza has passed its 1st reading in Parliament.
We will establish the truth over the UK’s complicity in genocide – and we will bring about justice for the Palestinian people.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) June 4, 2025
Corbyn requested “That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make provision for establishing an independent inquiry into UK involvement in Israeli military operations in Gaza; to require the inquiry to consider any UK military, economic or political cooperation with Israel since October 2023.”
This, he said, included “the sale, supply or use of weapons, surveillance aircraft and Royal Air Force bases.”
In addition, the motion’s request included “to provide the inquiry with the power to question Ministers and officials about decisions taken in relation to UK involvement; and for connected purposes.”
Chilcot Inquiry
Referencing the Chilcot public inquiry into Britain’s role in the Iraq war, Corbyn told the parliament that “The public deserves to know the full extent of the UK’s complicity in these atrocities.”
He reminded MPs that the Chilcot Inquiry “found serious failings within the British government which ignored the warnings of millions of ordinary people who’ve been protesting on the streets against the invasion” of Iraq.
I am supporting Jeremy Corbyn MP’s Gaza (independent public inquiry) Bill today, calling for an inquiry into the UK’s complicity in genocide in Gaza.
The British public has a right to know how UK arms, intelligence or military support have enabled Israel to carry out its war… pic.twitter.com/fqywziSnuY
— lan Byrne MP (@IanByrneMP) June 4, 2025
“History is now repeating itself,” Corbyn said, adding that for the past 18 months, “human beings have endured a level of horror and inhumanity that should haunt us all forever.”
“Entire families wiped out, limbs strewn across the street, mothers screaming for their children buried under the rubble, human beings being torn to pieces, doctors performing amputations without anaesthetic, children picking grass and dirt from the ground thinking they might find something edible to eat,” he continued.
Corbyn said, “Home by home, hospital by hospital, generation by generation, we are not just witnessing a war, we are witnessing a genocide. This time live-streamed all over the world.”
Ongoing Arms Supply
Britain, he noted, “has been supplying weapons to Israel, weapons that are being used to bomb the people of Palestine.”
“This, of course, started with the previous Conservative government but has continued with the current Labour government. In fact, between October and December 2024 alone, more arms export licences were granted than were approved by the previous government for the whole of 2020 and 2023,” the MP emphasized.
UK MPs Summoned over Potential Loopholes in Israel Arms Exports Rules
He said that on September 23, the government suspended some licences, but continued to allow the supply of F-35 components to the global pool.
The Foreign Secretary “has accepted the fact that F-35 jets are being used in violation of international humanitarian law, yet at the same time admits those parts go into the global supply chain and could therefore go to Israel,” Corbyn noted, adding “They know full well the implications.”
“By justifying the continued licensing of these parts, our government is admitting its complicity in what are quite clearly war crimes,” he continued.
‘Complicity’
“The government is telling us loud and clear that its participation in this programme is more important than upholding international law and the Convention on Genocide,” Corbyn stressed.
‘Misleading the Public’ – UK Sent Arms to Israel despite Suspension
He said that “Until this government ends the sale of weapons to Israel, it will remain complicit in the mass murder of Palestinians in Gaza at the present time.”
Corbyn noted that if the Bill is agreed to, “this will be a step forward in opening up the murky history of what has gone on, with murky arms sales and complicity in appalling acts of genocide.”
First Reading
Corbyn later posted on X that his call for an independent inquiry “has passed its first reading in Parliament.”
“We will establish the truth over the UK’s complicity in genocide – and we will bring about justice for the Palestinian people,” he added.
Jeremy Corbyn is on a mission to reveal the truth about Britain’s role in the Gaza genocide
He told me he will not rest until there is full transparency – and accountability👇pic.twitter.com/sKbULPBlhJ
— Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) June 4, 2025
The bill will be read for a second time on July 4.
‘Red Line for Palestine’ Protest
Earlier, thousands of demonstrators gathered outside parliament in London to demand that the government stop arming Israel and sanction Tel Aviv as part of a new action called a “Red Line for Palestine,” according to the Anadolu news agency.
Several MPs and celebrities joined the “Red Line for Palestine” around the building when the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) session was underway at the House of Commons.
“If the government refuses to listen, the people must raise their voices. That’s what democracy is all about.”
Stop the War Coalition President Brian Eno on why he joined the Red Line for Palestine protest around Parliament. pic.twitter.com/rqzVhwiQU5
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 4, 2025
Protesters chanted: “Stop arming Israel” and “Full embargo now” as international criticism mounts about Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip and restrictions on humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
Also, a big banner that read, “Starving children is a red line,” was held by protesters near parliament.
Today, I joined the Red Line for Palestine protest outside Parliament to call on the government to stop arming Israel and to support @jeremycorbyn’s Bill calling for a full, independent public inquiry into the UK’s role in enabling war crimes. pic.twitter.com/gglzyk3yKk
— Nadia Whittome MP (@NadiaWhittomeMP) June 4, 2025
Ben Jamal, director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), one of the organizers of the rally, said the group is forming a red line around parliament to demand “our government sanction Israel for its crimes against the Palestinian people.”
Over 54,000 Killed
Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.
On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 54,000, wounding more than 125,000, with over 14,000 still missing.
Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.
Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers.
(PC, Anadolu)
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