Ed Miliband has been accused of creating “an atmosphere for violence against Jews” in Britain by launching a series of sanctions on Israeli settlements.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told the Commons a “new approach” was necessary because plans for the E1 development in the West Bank would render a two-state solution “unviable” by “cutting through the heart of Palestine”.
The former Labour leader also accused settler “terrorists”, supported by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, of committing ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank.
Responding to Mr Miliband’s comments, Alex Gandler, a spokesman for the Israeli embassy in the UK, told the BBC the “sanctions and the way they were presented create a fertile ground for antisemitism to flourish”.
He added: “It definitely does not promote the relationship between Israel and the United Kingdom, that is for sure, and it does create an atmosphere for violence against Jews.”
Yesterday, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said people who “use hatred as a weapon against Jews” will be emboldened by Labour’s decision.
He said: “The measures announced amount to little more than political flag-bearing for mendacious anti-Israel rhetoric and those who harbour a dangerous obsession with the Jewish State.
“These measures will succeed only in bolstering the very extremism they seek to target.”
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Bank of England warns UK mortgage rates rising faster than anywhere in G7
British homeowners are being hit by one of the sharpest rises in mortgage rates across the world’s biggest economies, the Bank of England has warned.
Borrowing costs have jumped by around 0.75 percentage points since the outbreak of the Iran war, leaving families remortgaging today facing hundreds of pounds more in repayments.
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey told MPs that the increase in UK mortgage rates since the conflict began was the largest across the G7, with the possible exception of Japan.
“UK mortgage rates typically are about 75 basis points, 0.75 percentage points, higher than they were at the point the conflict broke out,” Mr Bailey told the Treasury Select Committee.
Second day of travel chaos as Nats boss to face Transport Secretary
Passengers will face further delays today
| PA
The boss of the UK’s main air traffic control provider will face a grilling from the Transport Secretary on Wednesday as widespread disruption continues with hundreds of flights cancelled following a technical issue.
Flight monitoring website Flightradar24 said 1,300 flights to and from UK airports were axed on Tuesday after a system issue hit Nats, the National Air Traffic Service, which provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports.
Tens of thousands of passengers were caught up in the chaos, which continued on Wednesday with further cancellations and delays expected as airlines deal with the knock-on impacts at airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted.
According to FlightRadar, 246 flights had been cancelled at Heathrow Airport by 6am on Wednesday, while Gatwick passengers faced 33 cancellations.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is set to speak with Mr Rolfe on Wednesday before she addresses MPs in the Commons for the second reading of the Civil Aviation Bill.
Who’s asking Andy Burnham questions today?
It’s Wednesday, so it’s Prime Minister’s Questions today (or The People’s Major Questions, as Andy Burnham previously suggested).
As is standard, Kemi Badenoch will ask six questions for the Prime Minister, followed by three from Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey.
The floor will then open to MPs, with the following backbenchers putting their names down to ask Mr Burnham a question:
- Sarah Hall (Warrington South, Labour)
- Connor Naismith (Crewe and Nantwich, Labour)
- Wera Hobhouse (Bath, Liberal Democrats)
- Dame Siobhain McDonagh (Mitcham and Morden, Labour)
- Dr Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham, Labour)
- Alberto Costa (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
- Kim Johnson (Liverpool Riverside, Labour)
- Liz Saville Roberts (Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Plaid Cymru)
- Ian Lavery (Blyth and Ashington, Labour)
- Chris Law (Dundee Centra, SNPl)
- Daisy Cooper (St Albans, Liberal Democrats)
- Laura Kyrke-Smith (Aylesbury, Labour)
- Cat Eccles (Stourbridge, Labour)
Labour making ‘grave mistake’ by slapping sections on Israel, claims Richard Tice
Richard Tice has warned Labour is making a “grave mistake” by slapping sanctions on Israel.
Reform UK’s Deputy Leader told GB News: “It is driven by kowtowing to the anti-Semites in the Labour Party, the anti-Semites on the Labour benches, the Islamists that he’s trying to kowtow to.
“It is a disaster for the safety and security of British Jews on British streets. That’s what I told the Foreign Secretary. As well as damaging our security relationship with the United States and indeed with Israel, that provide us with significant intelligence.
“Of course, it’s resulted, as I forecast in the Commons yesterday, in immediate tit-for-tat sanctions by Israel, which could grow and be very significant indeed. This is completely wrongheaded.
“Frankly, if there are any emboldened incidents against British Jews in the United Kingdom, that blood will be on the hands of the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister.”
Alex Burghart slams Labour’s Israel sanctions
Alex Burghart has slammed Labour’s sanctions on Israel, adding they say “a lot about the votes the party is trying to get back”.
The Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary told GB News: “They’re not going to make Israel change its policies.
“MI5 working with Israeli intelligence prevented several terrorist attacks…the Israelis help us because we are friends and our enemies are their enemies.
“I am very, very against what Labour is doing.”