Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Parliament ahead of bill demanding a public inquiry into the UK’s involvement in Israeli military operations in Gaza being presented.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an officer and obstructing a search during the demonstrations in Westminster on Wednesday, the Met Police said.
It came as Jeremy Corbyn, who joined protesters, presented his Ten-Minute Rule Bill calling for an “independent public inquiry” into Britain’s “military, economic, or political cooperation with Israel since October 2023”.
The former Labour leader, who now sits as the Independent MP for Islington North, has argued that Britain should stop supplying arms to Israel.
He said the inquiry should cover “British policy, the supply of arms, the complicity with acts of genocide, the use of the RAF Akrotiri [in Cyprus] and the sharing of security information”.
Introducing his bill, Mr Corbyn told MPs: “Home by home, hospital by hospital, generation by generation. We have not just been witnessing a war. We have been witnessing a genocide, livestreamed before the entire world.”
He added: “The Foreign Secretary has accepted the fact that F-35 jets are being used in violation of international humanitarian law, yet at the very same time admits [British] F-35 parts could still be going to Israel.
“They know full well the implication: by justifying the continued licencing of F-35 parts, the government is admitting its complicity in war crimes.
“I find it truly astounding that the government is telling us loud and clear that its participation in the F-35 programme is more important than its legal obligations to prevent genocide. It’s very simple, until this government ends the sale of weapons to Israel, it remains complicit in the mass murder of Palestinians.”
It comes after the Prime Minister admitted Gaza is facing "dark days" as he vowed to consider "further action" against Israel.
At the despatch box, Sir Keir Starmer described the Israeli government's conduct in the 25 mile-long strip as "counterproductive and intolerable".
He made his comments after an Israeli and US-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, paused food delivery at its three distribution sites in Gaza on Wednesday, after health officials said at least 27 Palestinians were killed in a series of shootings near the sites this week.
Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party in Northern Ireland Claire Hanna claimed there was "more moral clarity coming from Ms Rachel on YouTube than there is from many world leaders who are complicit in silence", referring to the star educator who has called on leaders to "be so ashamed" of what she described as their "anti-Palestinian racism".
Ms Hanna told the Commons: "The Prime Minister said this week that Britain must be ready for war and, I ask, after tens of thousands of deaths, after a generation of Gazans stunted by hunger and trauma, when will it be ready for peace?
"When will it help to stop this genocide? When will it hold the Israeli government to account, and when will it recognise the state of Palestine?"
Sir Keir replied: "She's absolutely right to describe this as dark days.
"Israel's recent action is appalling and in my view counterproductive and intolerable, and we have strongly opposed the expansion of military operations and settler violence, and the blocking of humanitarian aid."
The Prime Minister added: "You will have seen we've suspended the FTA (free trade agreement) talks and sanctioned extremists supporting violence in the West Bank.
"We will keep looking at further action along with our allies, including sanctions, but let me be absolutely clear: we need to get back to a ceasefire.
"We need the hostages who've been held for a very long time to be released, and we desperately need more aid at speed and at volume into Gaza, because it's an appalling and intolerable situation."
Several MPs wearing red badges, including John McDonnell, the independent MP for Hayes and Harlington, and Labour's MPs for Alloa and Grangemouth and Nottingham East Brian Leishman and Nadia Whittome silently left the chamber after the exchange.
