Labour MPs back Corbyn’s calls for Chilcot-style inquiry into UK’s role in Gaza war
A number of Labour MPs have backed calls for Sir Keir Starmer to hold a Chilcot-style inquiry into the UK’s role in the Gaza war.
Thirty-seven MPs, including 10 from Labour, have signed a letter to the prime minister by Jeremy Corbyn, who has demanded a “comprehensive inquiry with legal power to establish the truth”.
Among the signatories are Labour MPs Brian Leishman and Steve Witherden, who were both elected last July, and those on the left including Diane Abbott, Zarah Sultana and Nadia Whittome.
It has also gained the support of MPs in the SNP, Plaid Cymru, Sinn Fein and members of the House of Lords.
Support for the letter, seen by Sky News, risks reigniting internal Labour divisions over Gaza, just as Israel faces accusations of “control and censorship” for denying entry and then deporting two of MPs who had travelled there with a parliamentary delegation.
Israel said it refused entry to Labour’s Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang because it believed they were there to “provoke anti-Israel activities” and spread “anti-Israel hatred”.
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Why were two Labour MPs denied entry to Israel?
The two MPs, who said they were visiting humanitarian aid projects in the West Bank, have received the support of Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who said the decision was “unacceptable” and no way to treat British parliamentarians”.
Israel is also facing questions over the deaths of 15 emergency workers who were killed near the southern city of Rafah on 23 March and then buried in a “mass grave”, according to Jonathan Whittall, the head of the UN’s humanitarian affairs office.
A preliminary inquiry by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has found that the troops opened fire on a group of vehicles in Gaza, including ambulances, due to a “perceived threat following a previous encounter in the area”.
The IDF also said the early investigation indicated six of those who died “were identified as Hamas terrorists” – although no evidence was presented.
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Phone footage contradicts Israeli claims of killing of Gaza medics
Labour tensions over Gaza
Sky News understands that Mr Corbyn may seek to force a vote on the issue of an inquiry, potentially through a private members’ bill (PMB), which allows backbench MPs to propose changes to the law.
However, PMBs are rarely successful without government backing.
Internal Labour tensions over Gaza were exposed following Sir Keir’s immediate response to Israel launching its incursion into the enclave after the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October.
The Labour leader drew criticism for an interview he gave to LBC in which he appeared to suggest that Israel had a right to limit essential supplies, including water and electricity, to Gaza.
He later said he was only referring to the right Israel had to defend itself.
The 7 October attack killed 1,200 Israelis and saw about 250 taken hostage.
More than 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
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Sky challenges Israeli govt over medic death claims
‘Evasion, obstruction and silence’
Mr Corbyn, who sits as an independent MP after he was blocked from standing for Labour at the last election, said he had repeatedly sought answers on the continued sale of components for F-35 jets to Israel, the role of British military bases and the legal definition of genocide – but had been met with “evasion, obstruction and silence”.
As a result, the government was “leaving the public in the dark over the ways in which the responsibilities of government have been discharged”, Mr Corbyn argued.
Drawing parallels with the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war – which found the UK’s decision to invade was based on “flawed intelligence and assessments” – Mr Corbyn said history was at risk of “repeating itself”.
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The Chilcot report, which was published in 2016 following a series of delays, criticised former Labour prime minister Sir Tony Blair for not consulting his cabinet before giving George W Bush assurances the UK would be with him “whatever”, eight months before the invasion began.
It also said the circumstances leading up to the then attorney general’s controversial advice that the war was legal – without a second UN resolution – were “far from satisfactory”.
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In his letter, Mr Corbyn said the inquiry he was calling for “should establish exactly what decisions have been taken, how these decisions have been made, and what consequences they have had”.
“Any meaningful inquiry would require the full co-operation from government ministers involved in decision-making processes since October 2023,” he added.
“Many people believe the government has taken decisions that have implicated officials in the gravest breaches of international law.
“These charges will not go away until there is a comprehensive, public, independent inquiry with the legal power to establish the truth.”
Sky News has approached the Foreign Office for comment.
Altcoins may see a resurgence in the second quarter of 2025 as regulations for digital assets continue to improve, according to Swiss bank Sygnum.
In its Q2 2025 investment outlook, Sygnum said the space has seen “drastically improved” regulations for crypto use cases, creating the foundations for a strong alt-sector rally for the second quarter. However, it added that “none of the positive developments have been priced in.”
In April, Bitcoin dominance reached a four-year high, signaling that crypto investors are rotating their funds into an asset perceived to be relatively safer.
But Sygnum believes regulatory developments in the US, such as President Donald Trump’s establishment of a Digital Asset Stockpile and advancing stablecoin regulations, could propel broader crypto adoption.
“We expect protocols successful in gaining user traction to outperform and Bitcoin’s dominance to decline,” Sygnum wrote.
Increased focus on economic value ignites competition
Sygnum also said that competition would increase as the market focuses on economic value. Increased competition in a market often results in better products, ultimately benefiting consumers:
“The market’s increased focus on economic value compels greater competition for user growth and revenues, with rising protocols such as Toncoin, Sui, Aptos, Sonic, or Berachain taking different approaches.”
Sygnum added that while high-performance blockchains address limitations of the Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana blockchains, these chains find it challenging to achieve meaningful adoption and fee income.
The report highlighted that some approaches have been more sustainable. These include Berachain’s approach of incentivizing validators to provide liquidity to decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, Sonic’s rewarding developers that attract and retain users, and Toncoin’s Telegram affiliation to access one billion users.
Aside from layer-1 chains, Sygnum highlighted that layer-2 networks like Base also have potential. The report pointed out that while the memecoin frenzy on the blockchain pushed its users and revenue to new highs, it made an equally sharp decline after memecoins started losing steam.
Despite this, Sygnum noted that Base remains the layer-2 leader in metrics like daily transactions, throughput and total value locked.
Related: Italy finance minister warns US stablecoins pose bigger threat than tariffs
Memecoins still a leading crypto narrative in Q1
Despite recent price declines, memecoins remained a dominant crypto narrative in Q1 2025. A CoinGecko report recently highlighted that memecoins remained dominant as a crypto narrative in the first quarter of 2025. The crypto data company said memecoins had 27.1% of global investor interest, second only to artificial intelligence tokens, which had 35.7%.
While retail investors are still busy with memecoins, institutions have a different approach. Asset manager Bitwise reported on April 14 that publicly traded firms are stacking up on Bitcoin. At least twelve public companies purchased Bitcoin for the first time in Q1 2025, pushing public firm holdings to $57 billion.
Magazine: Uni students crypto ‘grooming’ scandal, 67K scammed by fake women: Asia Express
It was perhaps not quite how officials, in London at least, had envisaged the announcement of the state visit would be made.
In the Oval Office, Donald Trump revealed the news in his own way.
“I was invited by the King and the great country. They are going to do a second fest – that’s what it is. It is beautiful,” he said during an impromptu Oval Office moment.
The question was, did this “fest” – which Mr Trump suggested could happen in September – amount to the much hyped second state visit for the American president?
Or was this actually just the smaller visit that had been offered two months ago as an initial bilateral visit at which the state visit would be discussed?
Back in February, Sir Keir Starmer presented the president with a letter from King Charles and the offer of a state visit.
The letter proposed an initial meeting between the King and the president to discuss details of the state visit at either Dumfries House or Balmoral, both in Scotland, close to Mr Trump’s golf clubs.
The King wrote: “Quite apart from this presenting an opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest, it would also offer a valuable chance to plan a historic second state visit to the United Kingdom… As you will know this is unprecedented by a US president. That is why I would find it helpful for us to be able to discuss, together, a range of options for location and programme content.”
As he revealed the news of his “fest” with his “friend Charles”, Mr Trump said: “I think they are setting a date for September…”
Sources have since confirmed to Sky News that it will amount to the full state visit.
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Sir Keir Starmer handed Trump the invite earlier this year. Pic: Reuters
‘Even more important’
It’s possible the initial less formal presidential trip may still happen between now and September. Mr Trump is in Europe for the NATO summit in June and is due in Scotland to open a new golf course soon too.
“It is the second time it has happened to one person. The reason is we have two separate terms, and it’s an honour to be a friend of King Charles and the family, William,” the president said.
“I don’t know how it can be bigger than the last one. The last one was incredible, but they say the next one will be even more important.”
His last state visit in 2019, at the invitation of the late Queen, drew significant protests epitomised by the giant blow-up “Baby Trump” which floated over Parliament Square.
The president was hosted by the Queen in June 2019. Pic: Reuters
Britain’s trump card
September is a little earlier than had been expected for the visit. It may be an advantage for it to happen sooner rather than later, given the profoundly consequential and controversial nature of the first few months of his second term.
The decision by the British government to play its “state visit trump card” up front back in February drew some criticism.
And since February, Mr Trump’s position on numerous issues has been increasingly at odds with all of America’s allies.
On Ukraine, he has seemingly aligned himself closely with Vladimir Putin. His tariffs have caused a global economic shock. And on issues like Greenland and Canada, a member of the Commonwealth, he has generated significant diplomatic shock.
A risk worth taking
Mr Trump is as divisive among the British public as he is in America. Sir Keir is already walking a political tightrope by choosing the softly softly approach with the White House.
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The UK government chose not to retaliate against Mr Trump’s tariffs, unlike some allies. Sir Keir and his cabinet have been at pains not to be seen to criticise the president in any way as they seek to influence him on Ukraine and seek an elusive economic deal on tariffs.
On that tariff deal, despite some positive language from the US side and offers on the table, there has yet to be a breakthrough. A continuing challenge is engaging with the president for decisions and agreements only he, not his cabinet, will make.
British officials acknowledge the risk the state visit poses. In this presidency, anything could happen between now and September.
But they argue British soft power and Mr Trump’s fondness for the Royal Family and pomp – or a “fest” as he calls it – amount to vital diplomatic clout.
For a special relationship under strain, a special state visit is the tonic.
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