UK’s new Foreign Minister demands immediate end to Gaza war

After Labour Party sweeps British elections, UK’s new Foreign Minister, David Lammy, says Britain will pay greater role in pushing for an end to the fighting in Gaza.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Britain’s new Labour government is eyeing a greater role in efforts to press Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire agreement ending the current war in Gaza, the U.K.’s incoming Foreign Minister said over the weekend.

Speaking with Reuters on Saturday, David Lammy, who replaced former Prime Minister David Cameron as Foreign Minister following last week’s landslide victory for the Labour Party, said the formation of the first non-Conservative government in 14 years would see major changes in British foreign policy.

“The time has come for the United Kingdom to reconnect with the outside world,” Lammy said.

In particular, Lammy highlighted the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas terror organization in Gaza, emphasizing the need for an end to the war, and advocating for Britain to play a bigger role in securing a truce.

“I want to get back to a balanced position on Israel and Gaza. We’ve been very clear that we want to see a ceasefire … We want to see those hostages out.”

“The fighting has to stop, the aid has got to get in, and I will use all diplomatic efforts to ensure that we get to that ceasefire,” Lammy continued.

Under the leadership of MP Keir Starmer, who replaced Jeremy Corbyn as party chairman following the party’s historic defeat in 2019, Labour won 411 seats in the 650-member Parliament in last week’s election, with 33.7% of the vote.

The ruling Conservatives plummeted to just 121 seats and received only 23.7% of the vote, losing supporters to the right-wing Reform U.K. party, which received 14.3% of the vote, but secured just 5 seats.

The centrist LIberal Democrats party won 72 seats with 12.2% of the vote.