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Sir Keir Starmer has insisted there is “unity” within Labour, despite demands for him to change his stance on the Israel-Hamas war and back calls for a ceasefire.

The growing descent in his party hit a new peak late on Thursday, when two council leaders called on the Labour leader to resign over his position on the Middle East conflict.

They accused Sir Keir of “blindly following” the government and not standing up for “Labour values”.

The Labour leader has backed calls for “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting but has previously said he does not believe a ceasefire is the “correct position” to take.

A number of other senior party figures, including London mayor Sadiq Khan, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, have also recently broken ranks to call for a ceasefire.

But, speaking at an event in Durham on Friday, Sir Keir said the “focus” should be on people in Gaza and Israel who “most desperately need our support and help – not on political voices in our own country”.

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After outlining how his party had been singing from the same hymn sheet at its recent conference over its plans for government, the Labour leader said: “On the question of Gaza, there is also unity.

“Whether people are asking for a ceasefire or a humanitarian pause, it comes from the same place, which is… people desperately want to see an alleviation of a situation.

“That is a human emotion to what we’re seeing on our televisions, and images and reports, every single day. I am not surprised that people are trying to go for any option that they see would alleviate the awful situation.

“I don’t think that should be taken as great division. That is a human emotion. What I’ve done is share that emotion… but what I’ve concentrated on is what is the practical way to alleviate the situation on the ground.”

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Sir Keir said aligning with both the British and American governments in their calls for so-called humanitarian pauses in the fighting, to allow aid into the Gaza Strip, would help “bring about that change”.

He added: “For me, this isn’t about the particular position taken by individuals in the Labour Party. It’s about alleviating that suffering.”

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Asked if he would fire any shadow ministers who disagreed with him and continued to call for a ceasefire, Sir Keir said: “Collective responsibility is important”.

He added: “It’s my job as leader of the party to assess how we enforce and bring about collective responsibility. And I will do so.

“But I’ve set out my position clearly. I am not doing so in accordance with particular views that individual members of the Labour party may or may not take. That is not my central objective and I do not think that should be the priority.

“The priority is to get change in the situation [in the Middle East] just as quickly as we can.”

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Flares, flashes and explosions as projectiles are fired into Gaza

Sir Keir was in the North East to set out his mission for government to business leaders, as he called for this week’s King Speech to act as a “kick start” to “get Britain building”.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak‘s policy agenda for the 12 months ahead is due to be delivered on Tuesday, as Westminster prepares for the pomp and ceremony of the State Opening of Parliament.

Reports suggest there will be a big focus on crime from the government, as well as legislative plans for conference announcements, such as phasing out smoking.

The Labour leader outlined what he believed should feature in the speech in order to achieve a “decade of national renewal” – including building more infrastructure, overhauling planning systems, and upskilling young people in new technical colleges.

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“Next week is the King’s Speech and we can already see it will only bring more of the same,” said Sir Keir. “A manifesto for the 14th year of Tory failure and the starting gun fired on the next general election.

“[That vote will be] a choice of a Conservative Party with no plan for the future, hurtling down the only high-speed project it’s ever managed to build – the highway to British decline – or the Labour alternative, a party that understands the potential that lies in regions like this, that has a plan to grow every corner of this country.”

He added: “The King’s Speech should be about a national mission to get Britain building again and to grow our country from the grassroots, because Britain needs a new business model.”

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US Supreme Court will not review IRS case involving Coinbase user data

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US Supreme Court will not review IRS case involving Coinbase user data

US Supreme Court will not review IRS case involving Coinbase user data

A lower court ruling will stand in a case involving a Coinbase user who filed a lawsuit against the IRS after the crypto exchange turned over transaction data.

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First US staking ETF to launch Wednesday, giving investors exposure to Solana

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First US staking ETF to launch Wednesday, giving investors exposure to Solana

First US staking ETF to launch Wednesday, giving investors exposure to Solana

REX Shares will launch the first US staked crypto ETF this week, giving investors direct exposure to SOL with staking rewards.

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Government accused of ‘stark’ contradiction over position on Gaza genocide allegations

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Government accused of 'stark' contradiction over position on Gaza genocide allegations

The government has won a long-running legal challenge about its decision to continue allowing the sale of spare parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel, while suspending other arms licences over concerns about international humanitarian law in Gaza.

But a key part of its case has highlighted mixed messaging about its position on the risk of genocide in Gaza – and intensified calls for ministers to publish their own assessment on the issue.

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Lawyers acting for the government told judges “the evidence available does not support a finding of genocide” and “the government assessment was that…there was no serious risk of genocide occurring”.

Therefore, they argued, continuing to supply the F-35 components did not put the UK at risk of breaching the Genocide Convention.

This assessment has never been published or justified by ministers in parliament, despite numerous questions on the issue.

Some MPs argue its very existence contrasts with the position repeatedly expressed by ministers in parliament – that the UK is unable to give a view on allegations of genocide in Gaza, because the question is one for the international courts.

For example, just last week Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner told PMQs “it is a long-standing principle that genocide is determined by competent international courts and not by governments”.

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Situation in Gaza ‘utterly intolerable’

‘The UK cannot sit on our hands’

Green MP Ellie Chowns said: “The government insists only an international court can judge whether genocide is occurring in Gaza, yet have somehow also concluded there is ‘no serious risk of genocide’ in Gaza – and despite my urging, refuse to publish the risk assessments which lead to this decision.

“Full transparency on these risk assessments should not be optional; it is essential for holding the government to account and stopping further atrocity.

“While Labour tie themselves in knots contradicting each other, families are starving, hospitals lie in ruins, and children are dying.

“The UK cannot sit on our hands waiting for an international court verdict when our legal duty under the Genocide Convention compels us to prevent genocide from occurring, not merely seek justice after the fact.”

‘Why are these assessments being made?’

“This contradiction at the heart of the government’s position is stark,” said Zarah Sultana MP, an outspoken critic of Labour’s approach to the conflict in Gaza, who now sits as an independent after losing the party whip last summer.

“Ministers say it’s not for them to determine genocide, that only international courts can do so. Yet internal ‘genocide assessments’ have clearly been made and used to justify continuing arms exports to Israel.

“If they have no view, why are these assessments being made? And if they do, why refuse to share them with parliament? This Labour government, in opposition, demanded the Tories publish their assessments. Now in office, they’ve refused to do the same.”

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Judges at the High Court ultimately ruled the case was over such a “sensitive and political issue” it should be a matter for the government, “which is democratically accountable to parliament and ultimately to the electorate, not the court”.

Dearbhla Minogue, a senior lawyer at the Global Legal Action Network, and a solicitor for Al-Haq, the Palestinian human rights group which brought the case, said: “This should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the government, but rather a restrained approach to the separation of powers.

“The government’s disgraceful assessment that there is no risk of genocide has therefore evaded scrutiny in the courts, and as far as we know it still stands.”

Palestinians inspect the damage at an UNRWA school sheltering displaced people that was hit in an Israeli air strike, in Gaza.
Pic Reuters
A Palestinian woman sits amid the damage at an UNRWA school sheltering displaced people. Pic: Reuters
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Pics: Reuters

What is the government’s position?

Government lawyers argued the decision not to ban the export of F-35 parts was due to advice from Defence Secretary John Healey, who said a suspension would impact the whole F-35 programme and have a “profound impact on international peace and security”.

The UK supplies F-35 component parts as a member of an international defence programme which produces and maintains the fighter jets. As a customer of that programme, Israel can order from the pool of spare parts.

Labour MP Richard Burgon said the ruling puts the government under pressure to clarify its position.

“This court ruling is very clear: only the government and parliament can decide if F-35 fighter jet parts – that can end up in Israel – should be sold,” he said.

“So the government can no longer pass the buck: it can stop these exports, or it can be complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

“On many issues they say it’s not for the government to decide, but it’s one for the international courts. This washing of hands will no longer work.”

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Dozens dead in Gaza after Israeli strikes

Israel has consistently rejected any allegations of genocide.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu branded a recent UN report on the issue biased and antisemitic.

“Instead of focusing on the crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the Hamas terrorist organisation… the United Nations once again chooses to attack the state of Israel with false accusations,” he said in a statement.

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‘Gaza disinformation campaign is deliberate’

The UK government has not responded to requests for comment over its contrasting messaging to parliament and the courts over allegations of genocide.

But in response to the judgement, a spokesperson said: “The court has upheld this government’s thorough and lawful decision-making on this matter.

“This shows that the UK operates one of the most robust export control regimes in the world. We will continue to keep our defence export licensing under careful and continual review.

“On day one of this Government, the foreign secretary ordered a review into Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL).

“The review concluded that there was a clear risk that UK exports for the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) in the Gaza conflict might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of IHL.

“In contrast to the last government, we took decisive action, stopping exports to the Israeli Defence Forces that might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza.”

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