HUNDREDS of staff in the UK Government’s Foreign Office were told they could resign if they had concerns about how Labour are handling Israel’s illegal actions in Palestine.
Novara Media first reported that some 300 staff had signed a letter addressed to Foreign Secretary David Lammy last month in which concerns were raised about UK “complicity” with Israel.
The letter questioned Labour’s decision to continue to license exports of military equipment to Israel, saying: "In July 2024, staff expressed concern about Israel's violations of international humanitarian law and potential UK Government complicity.
“In the intervening period, the reality of Israel's disregard for international law has become more stark."
It further accused the UK Government of contributing to "the erosion of global norms", pointing to both the weapons exports and the secret visit to London in April by Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar.
As The National previously reported, UK Government figures have shown that more military equipment was licensed for export in the final three months of 2024 – after Labour suspended some 10% of export licences – than had been licensed through all of 2020-2023.
Labour have also refused to stop exporting parts for F-35 fighter jets, which Israel has used in Gaza, claiming that to do so would endanger UK military operations elsewhere – and has continued sending spy planes over Gaza to aid Israel.
The reply to staff’s concerns was sent from Sir Oliver Robbins and Nick Dyer, the two most senior civil servants in the Foreign Office.
The pair said that the "bargain at the heart of the British Civil Service is that we sign up to deliver the policies of the Government of the day wholeheartedly, within the limits imposed by the law and the Civil Service Code".
The UK Government's official position is that Israel is "at risk" of breaching international law. Foreign Secretary Lammy previously said Israel was breaching the law on multiple occasions, before U-turning in an embarrassing parliamentary climbdown.
Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wanted for arrest by the International Criminal Court, and the country is facing credible accusations of committing genocide.
The BBC reported on Tuesday that the dismissed letter was “at least the fourth such document sent by concerned civil servants to ministers and Foreign Office managers since late 2023”.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said there were “systems in place which allow [staff] to raise concerns if they have them".
