UK shadow cabinet

UK Foreign policy Labour would comply with ICC arrest order for Netanyahu, Lammy reiterates

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Shadow foreign secretary repeats belief in ‘rules-based order’ and also says UK would not seek EU membership.

David Lammy said that, in the Labour party, ‘we believe in international law’. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/PA

 

David Lammy has reiterated that Labour would seek to implement an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu if one was issued by the international criminal court.

Speaking to CNN, the shadow foreign secretary said a Labour government would comply if an order was issued for the arrest of the Israeli prime minister, adding that he expected the response to be the same all over Europe.

Lammy has made the same commitment previously, but his remarks to the US TV channel’s Fareed Zakaria came at a time when the ICC is drawing closer to making a decision on the issue of warrants.

Labour has faced criticism from Israeli groups for making the commitment, which was previously made before the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, called a general election. Explaining his rationale, Lammy said: “The architecture that was created after the second world war, the rules-based order that we believe so much in, the international legal structure – one of the big architects of that was Churchill in our country. »

“It’s something that has been a guiding light for the United Kingdom over many years, and that’s why we are signatories to the statute of Rome. We believe in the ICC and the ICJ. Now I’ve seen what the chief prosecutor has said about his desire for warrants. Lire la suite »