Independent UK Member of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn is set to introduce a significant parliamentary bill on June 4, demanding an independent public inquiry into the United Kingdom’s involvement in Israel’s operations in Gaza, Middle East Monitor reported.
The proposed legislation, brought forward under the Ten Minute Rule, aims to scrutinize the extent of UK political, military, and economic support provided to Israel since October 2023.
Corbyn, the former leader of the British Labour Party, confirmed his intention in a public statement, asserting, "It’s official. I will be introducing a Bill for an independent public inquiry into the UK’s involvement in Israel’s assault on Gaza. The government must decide: will it support this inquiry, or will it block our efforts to establish the truth?"
Should the bill successfully navigate the parliamentary process, it would establish an independent inquiry endowed with the authority to compel testimony from ministers and officials. Its mandate would include examining sensitive areas such as arms sales, intelligence sharing, and other forms of cooperation with Israel, with a view to determining whether such support may have contributed to violations of international law.
The announcement of Corbyn’s initiative follows a joint statement issued by the UK, France, and Canada, which, while condemning Israel's military offensive, has not quelled growing concerns regarding the UK's ongoing material support.
Corbyn is notorious for his anti-Israel stance. During his time as Labour leader, Corbyn infamously stirred up controversy by calling Hamas and Hezbollah his "friends". He initially refused to apologize for those comments but later walked them back.
British Jews also voiced deep concern over his disturbing links to a wide range of extremists, spanning far-right Holocaust deniers, an antisemitic Christian minister and Islamist terrorist groups.
Corbyn was suspended from Labour following the publication of a report compiled by the Equality and Human Rights Commission which found numerous cases where the party leadership under Corbyn underplayed, belittled or ignored complaints by Jewish members, and sometimes actively interfered to support political allies.
In November of 2022, Corbyn was permanently banned from running as a candidate for the Labour party. He ran as an independent in the most recent election.