ANAS Sarwar refused to say if he supports the RAF conducting surveillance flights over Gaza and sharing information with Israel.
The news comes after The National reported on how the UK Government sent a Shadow R1 spy plane from the Cyprus base RAF Akrotiri to monitor Gaza just hours after Foreign Secretary David Lammy described Israel’s actions in the strip as “monstrous” earlier this week.
The UK Government has since confirmed that it would still be sharing the information it gathered with Israel, although claiming it would only be shared if it was deemed relevant to securing the release of hostages held by Hamas.
In June 2024, the UK Defence Journal reported that the RAF had conducted more than 250 surveillance flights near Gaza since December 3, 2023.
The Scottish Labour leader refused on Friday to say if he supports the RAF helping Israel with intelligence gathering, however.
The National asked: “Yes or no. Do you support the RAF conducting surveillance flights over Gaza and sharing intelligence with Israel?”
Sarwar responded: “Well, look. I don't know the nature of what the conversations are in terms of intelligence or in terms of our intelligence community. You don't know the nature of that, either.”
At 7pm last night, Labour sent a UK spy plane over Gaza to collect intel for Israel Just hours after Labour announced suspension of trade talks If you collect intel for a genocidal power over territory they are attacking you are a participant UK ministers need to be arrested pic.twitter.com/84CnKogxaK
— Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) May 21, 2025
He added: “What I have seen though is a UK Labour Government firming up its opposition to the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu.”
This week, Lammy announced the UK Government has called off negotiations with the Israeli government on a new free trade deal – describing Netanyahu’s government as “extremists”.
The move, however, did not include any movement on arms sales to Israel.
It came in response to the blockade on aid to Gaza, Israel's devastating bombing campaign and high-level leaders' public statements about ethnically cleansing the territory.
Sarwar went on to highlight the UK Government deciding to drop its challenge to ICC arrest warrants for Israeli leaders in July last year, including Netanyahu – who he said is “not a good faith actor”.
He also said it was “right that we tighten up the processes around arms exports” and went on to stress the need for an immediate ceasefire, the return of the hostages and move towards a two-state solution.
The National then asked Sarwar for a straight answer, saying: “I don't think that any decent person would disagree with that. But that's not the question I asked. The question I asked, specifically, was: do you support the RAF conducting surveillance flights and sharing intelligence with Israel?”
Sarwar then said “I’m not party to...” before The National again asked: “But you can have an opinion on it.”
The Scottish Labour leader then continued: “You're asking me about something that you have no knowledge of. And I have no knowledge of.
"Because I do not know the nature of the intelligence that is being gathered or the intelligence that is or is not being shared and who that intelligence is shared with.”
The National then pressed: “I’m asking if it should be at all.”
Sarwar said: “So, I'm not party to those conversations and, frankly, anyone that's not included, in terms of that senior intelligence, wouldn't be part of that conversation either.”
