THE UK Government has been condemned for refusing to respond to a letter expressing concerns over its links to the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) group.
The National previously reported on LFI – the party's most prominent pro-Israel group – after its chair attacked the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issuing an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu.
Jon Pearce said in a column for The Jerusalem Post in March that his organisation believes that the ICC warrant is “morally suspect [and] legally dubious”.
The Labour MP further said that LFI opposes the [[UK Government]]’s decision to suspend 30 out of around 350 weapons export licences to Israel, and tacitly criticised Labour for restoring funding to UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
In the aftermath of that story – on April 28 – SNP MP Chris Law (below) wrote to both Pearce and Keir Starmer looking to clarify if the comments were made in his own capacity or if they reflected the viewpoints of LFI.
He also expressed concerns over a UK MP appearing to “cast doubt on an independent court” and raised the question of whether ministerial support or membership of LFI – if the comments did reflect the group’s viewpoint – is compatible with collective responsibility.
According to a list The National reported on in April which is no longer on the LFI website but can be viewed through the Internet Archive, some of Labour’s most senior ministers were members of the group.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, and Crime Minister Diana Johnson were all LFI vice-chairs before last July’s General Election.
But asked at the time if those ministers still supported LFI and backed Pearce’s criticism of the ICC, all five of their respective UK Government departments refused to comment.
Several months after sending the letter, Law has still received no response. This led to a subsequent written question asking when he could expect a response, to which the UK Government recently responded: “There are no plans to respond to the letter”.
Now, he has hit out at the silence and called it “astounding”.
“Amidst Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, Jon Pearce’s comments contrary to the position of the [[UK Government]] make it clear that membership of Labour Friends of Israel and membership of the [[UK Government]] are incompatible,” he told The National.
“Despite donating to over half the cabinet and increasing its lobbying efforts amongst backbench MPs, Labour Friends of Israel does not disclose its funding.
“The Government’s refusal to respond to my letter is astounding yet it is somewhat characteristic of the cowardice they have demonstrated since the start of the war when it comes to answering awkward questions on their relationship with Israel.”
Law added: “The Cabinet Office recognises that the right of MPs to write to Ministers and receive a timely and accurate reply is ‘an essential part of representative democracy’.
“The Government is hiding from its responsibility to be accountable to MPs and their constituents, just as it failing to fulfil its obligation to stop Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”
The UK Government and Jon Pearce have been approached for comment.
