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Written question asked by Richard Burgon (Labour) on Wednesday, 22 April 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 28 April 2026 (named day). It was answered by Chris Bryant (Labour) on Tuesday, 28 April 2026 on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade.


Arms Trade: Israel

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has assessed if there is a clear risk that arms exports licensed by the UK government might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law by Israel in Lebanon.

Answer

The Prime Minister has been clear that the conflict in the Middle East is not our war. We are responding to this crisis with clear and calm leadership to protect our national interests without being drawn in to the conflict.

Export licence applications are rigorously assessed against the UK’s Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, including criterion 2(c) which states that we will not grant a licence if there is a clear risk that the items under that licence might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law. We also keep all existing licences under continual review on the same basis. This means that all these issues are kept under continuous review.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
129189
Session
2024-26
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Arms trade International humanitarian law Lebanon Israel
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk