Dua Lipa, Gary Lineker, and Benedict Cumberbatch join more than 300 figures urging PM to ‘end UK complicity’ in Gaza

Published

2 days ago

May 29, 2025

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Benedict Cumberbatch, Annie Lennox, Gary Lineker and Dua Lipa have joined more than 300 public figures calling on the prime minister to “end the UK’s complicity” in Gaza.

In an open letter addressed to Sir Keir Starmer, seen exclusively by Sky News, famous names from the world of media and the arts have joined leading doctors, academics, campaign groups, and a Holocaust survivor.

They have accused the British government of continuing to allow UK arms to be sold to Israel and to providing licences for arms.

The letter, led by refugee charity Choose Love, demands an immediate suspension of all UK arms sales to Israel, immediate humanitarian access for experienced aid agencies, and urges the government to commit to brokering a ceasefire for “the children of Gaza”.

In September 2024, the UK suspended 30 arms licences from about 350 involved in items that go to Israel.

Last week, Sir Keir joined the French and Canadian leaders to warn Israel they will take “concrete actions” if it continues an “egregious” expansion of military operations in Gaza.

The PM also told MPs last week the level of suffering in Gaza, especially among innocent children, was “intolerable” and called Israel’s decision to allow a small amount of aid in “utterly inadequate”.

The letter says: “We urge you to take immediate action to end the UK’s complicity in the horrors in Gaza.”

It says children in Gaza are starving while food and medicine “sit just minutes away” in reference to Israel’s 11-week blockade of food and other supplies into Gaza, which was lifted last week.

A new foundation backed by Israel and the US has set up an aid distribution site this week, but the UN has rejected the system as it says it cannot meet the needs of Gaza’s 2.1 million people.

The UN, which has warned the population is facing catastrophic levels of hunger, said it believes 47 people were injured on Tuesday when crowds overwhelmed the aid distribution centre, but Israel said its troops only fired “warning shots” into the air.

Among the famous people to put their names to the letter are singers Dua Lipa, Annie Lennox, Paloma Faith, Massive Attack and Primal Scream.

Actors include Benedict Cumberbatch, Riz Ahmed, Game of Thrones actress Lena Headey, Tilda Swinton, Maxine Peake, Marvel actress Zawe Ashton, Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan, and director Danny Boyle.

TV stars include Dermot O’Leary, Gary Lineker, Chicken Shop Date creator Amelia Dimoldenberg, and presenter Laura Whitmore.

Lineker finished his 26-year stint as Match of the Day presenter this week, after apologising for sharing a social media post from the Palestine Lobby group titled: “Zionism explained in two minutes.”

The Instagram post was illustrated with a rat, which has been used to represent Jewish people in antisemitic propaganda – including Nazi Germany.

Lineker “apologised unreservedly” for sharing it, saying he was unaware of the reference and it was a mistake. He maintained the importance of “speaking out on humanitarian issues, including the tragedy unfolding in Gaza”.

Photographer and activist Misan Harriman, writer, model and activist Munroe Bergdorf, artist Tracey Emin and model Lily Cole have also signed the letter.

Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos has signed the letter, which says 71,000 children under four years old are “acutely malnourished” and they “cry until they can’t cry anymore – until hunger takes even their voices”.

It says they wake up to bombs falling on them, “violence stamped with UK inaction – flown with parts shipped from British factories to Israel”.

The letter warns Sir Keir: “You can’t call it ‘intolerable’, yet do nothing.

“The world is watching and history will not forget. The children of Gaza cannot wait another minute.

“Prime minister, what will you choose? Complicity in war crimes, or the courage to act?”

The letter comes just days after 828 UK-based or qualified legal experts, among them former Supreme Court justices, signed a letter to Sir Keir warning “genocide is being perpetrated in Gaza”.

Israel has repeatedly denied that it is committing genocide in Gaza.

A government spokesperson said: “We strongly oppose the expansion of military operations in Gaza and call on the Israeli Government to cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid.

“The denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law.

“Last year, we suspended export licences to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza and continue to refuse licences for military goods that could be used by Israel in the current conflict.

“We urge all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire agreement and work towards a permanent and sustainable peace.”

Politics

‘No doubt’ UK will spend 3% of GDP on defence in next parliament, defence secretary says

Published

2 hours ago

May 31, 2025

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'No doubt' UK will spend 3% of GDP on defence in next parliament, defence secretary says

There is “no doubt” the UK “will spend 3% of our GDP on defence” in the next parliament, the defence secretary has said.

John Healey’s comments come ahead of the publication of the government’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) on Monday.

This is an assessment of the state of the armed forces, the threats facing the UK, and the military transformation required to meet them.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously set out a “clear ambition” to raise defence spending to 3% in the next parliament “subject to economic and fiscal conditions”.

Mr Healey has now told The Times newspaper there is a “certain decade of rising defence spending” to come, adding that this commitment “allows us to plan for the long term. It allows us to deal with the pressures.”

A government source insisted the defence secretary was “expressing an opinion, which is that he has full confidence that the government will be able to deliver on its ambition”, rather than making a new commitment.

The UK currently spends 2.3% of GDP on defence, with Sir Keir announcing plans to increase that to 2.5% by 2027 in February.

This followed mounting pressure from the White House for European nations to do more to take on responsibility for their own security and the defence of Ukraine.

The 2.3% to 2.5% increase is being paid for by controversial cuts to the international aid budget, but there are big questions over where the funding for a 3% rise would be found, given the tight state of government finances.

While a commitment will help underpin the planning assumptions made in the SDR, there is of course no guarantee a Labour government would still be in power during the next parliament to have to fulfil that pledge.

A statement from the Ministry of Defence makes it clear that the official government position has not changed in line with the defence secretary’s comments.

The statement reads: “This government has announced the largest sustained increase to defence spending since the end of the Cold War – 2.5% by 2027 and 3% in the next parliament when fiscal and economic conditions allow, including an extra £5bn this financial year.

“The SDR will rightly set the vision for how that uplift will be spent, including new capabilities to put us at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, investment in our people and making defence an engine for growth across the UK – making Britain more secure at home and strong abroad.”

Sir Keir commissioned the review shortly after taking office in July 2024. It is being led by Lord Robertson, a former Labour defence secretary and NATO secretary general.

The Ministry of Defence has already trailed a number of announcements as part of the review, including plans for a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command and a £1bn battlefield system known as the Digital Targeting Web, which we’re told will “better connect armed forces weapons systems and allow battlefield decisions for targeting enemy threats to be made and executed faster”.

On Saturday, the defence secretary announced a £1.5bn investment to tackle damp, mould and make other improvements to poor quality military housing in a bid to improve recruitment and retention.

Mr Healey pledged to “turn round what has been a national scandal for decades”, with 8,000 military family homes currently unfit for habitation.

He said: “The Strategic Defence Review, in the broad, will recognise that the fact that the world is changing, threats are increasing.

“In this new era of threat, we need a new era for defence and so the Strategic Defence Review will be the vision and direction for the way that we’ve got to strengthen our armed forces to make us more secure at home, stronger abroad, but also learn the lessons from Ukraine as well.

“So an armed forces that can be more capable of innovation more quickly, stronger to deter the threats that we face and always with people at the heart of our forces… which is why the housing commitments that we make through this strategic defence review are so important for the future.”