A group of pro-Palestinian activists have held a protest outside the home of Sir Keir Starmer – a move that has been condemned by the prime minister.
The campaigners arrived at the Labour leader’s house to call on him to support an arms embargo on Israel.
The demonstration saw dozens of children’s shoes placed outside his property with a banner nearby that read: “Starmer Stop the Killing” – an apparent reference to Labour “allowing the selling of arms to Israel”.
The Metropolitan Police said three people were arrested under Section 42 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, a power designed to “stop the harassment of a person at their home address”.
Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary James Cleverly criticised the protesters’ decision to target Sir Keir’s home.
Mr Sunak wrote on X: “I don’t care what your politics are, no MP should be harassed at their own home.
Mr Cleverly also posted to the social media website: “This is unacceptable. There is no excuse for harassing and intimidating politicians and their families in their homes.”
More than 33,000 Palestinians, including over 15,000 children, have been killed in Gaza since the 7 October Hamas attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel launched its offensive in the Palestinian territory following the assault by Hamas which killed around 1,200 people and saw about 250 taken hostage.
The UK government does not directly supply Israel with weapons but does grant export licences for British companies to sell arms to the country.
Labour has said arms exports to Israel should be suspended if the advice ministers have received is that international law has been broken, but the government is refusing to make the guidance public, citing confidentiality.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has resisted backing an embargo without seeing the advice first.
An Israeli investigation into the killing of the seven aid workers found that incorrect assumptions, decision-making mistakes and violations of the rules of engagement had resulted in their deaths.
During a news conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Lord Cameron, the foreign secretary, said the UK’s position on arms sales to Israel remains “unchanged”.
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Ex-finance secretary Kate Forbes had been tipped to join him, but has since announced she does not intend to stand and will throw her support behind Mr Swinney.
Who is John Swinney?
Edinburgh-born Mr Swinney has spent a year on the backbenches after he stepped down as deputy first minister when Nicola Sturgeon resigned in 2023.
The 60-year-old first joined the SNP in 1979 at the age of 15. He became a prominent figure in the party’s youth wing before climbing the ranks to become the SNP’s national secretary at the age of 22.
Mr Swinney has been an MSP since the Scottish parliament’s inception in 1999, serving North Tayside, and previously representing the same constituency at Westminster in 1997.
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The Perthshire North MSP, who was also finance secretary under Alex Salmond’s government, is said by his supporters to have the experience needed to lead the country following Mr Yousaf’s departure.
He took over from Mr Salmond as SNP leader in 2000, but resigned in 2004 following poor European parliament election results.
Under Ms Sturgeon, he occupied several ministerial offices, including education secretary, COVID-19 recovery secretary and again in finance – taking over from Kate Forbes during her maternity leave.
During his time as Ms Sturgeon’s deputy, he cemented his reputation as a dogged defender of his boss, as well as an SNP stalwart.
However, he faced two close no-confidence votes in Holyrood, first over the handling of school exams during the pandemic, and then his initial refusal to publish legal advice during the inquiry into the botched handling of harassment complaints against Mr Salmond.
He ruled himself out of the 2023 leadership race to replace Ms Sturgeon, citing that he had to put his young family first.
Within hours of Mr Yousaf’s resignation, several senior figures within the SNP voiced their support for Mr Swinney, including the party’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, education secretary Jenny Gilruth, and MPs Pete Wishart, Ian Blackford and Alyn Smith.
Announcing his intention to enter the SNP leadership race, Mr Swinney admitted that his party is “not as cohesive as it needs to be” to achieve its goal of Scottish independence.
He added: “I believe I have the experience, the skills, and I command the trust and the confidence of people across this country to bring the SNP back together again and get us focused on what we do best – uniting Scotland, delivering for the people and working to create the best future for our country.”
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John Swinney announcing his leadership bid. Pic: PA
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If elected, Mr Swinney said he wants Ms Forbes to “play a significant part” in his government.
He said: “She is an intelligent, creative, thoughtful person who has much to contribute to our national life. And if elected, I will make sure that Kate is able to make that contribution.”
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Under the plan, people who enter the UK unauthorised will be sent to Rwanda to have their asylum claims processed there.
Since the passage of the latest legislation, tensions have grown between the UK and Ireland after people entered the Republic to escape facing deportation.
But the government in Westminster says it will not take people back until a reciprocal agreement is put in place to allow returns to France for people who cross the Channel.
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First Rwanda relocation raids carried out
No one has been deported to Rwanda yet, though this week a failed asylum seeker voluntarily chose to go to Kigali once their application to stay in the UK failed, under a different scheme.
The government has said removal flights are set to take off in nine to 11 weeks, with the first people to be deported detained on Wednesday after officers raided their homes.