Rachel Reeves suggests pensioners can afford winter fuel payment cuts

Rachel Reeves has suggested most elderly people can afford to lose the winter fuel payment because of increases to the state pension.

The Chancellor said the triple lock meant retirees would be £900 better off this year, whilst energy bills have also fallen from last winter’s highs.

She made the remarks as she defended her decision to strip the allowance from 10 million pensioners in the face of a growing Labour backlash.

New analysis reveals that her plans to means-test the handout will mean that up to five in six elderly people living below the poverty line will lose out.

Downing Street is now set to call a vote on the controversial policy for next Tuesday after Sir Keir Starmer bowed to pressure to give MPs a say.

Ms Reeves told the Commons on Tuesday that she “understands the concerns” around the move but insisted that it was the “right decision”.

She told MPs: “The state pension is worth £900 more than it was a year ago and energy bills are lower this winter than they were last winter.

“I made difficult decisions, some very difficult decisions, to put the public finances on a sustainable footing.

“They were tough decisions but they were the right decisions in the circumstances that we face. This includes the decision to make the winter fuel payment better targeted.”

The Chancellor has blamed the Tories for the decision, which will save £1.4 billion a year, saying she needs to fill a £22 billion budget black hole.

But she came under pressure from Labour MPs to revisit her decision as she took part in her first Treasury questions as Chancellor on Tuesday.

Sam Rushworth, whose Bishop Auckland constituency includes England’s snowiest village, raised concerns about the impact on poor pensioners.

He asked the Chancellor to reassure retirees that the Government “will help to… ensure they don’t struggle to heat their homes this winter”.

Six Labour MPs also signed a parliamentary motion which warns the change to means testing will be “bureaucratic and unpopular”.

Melanie Onn, a former Labour frontbencher, separately wrote to Ms Reeves to raise her concerns about the impact of the decision.

She said it had “caused extreme anxiety amongst my constituents” and warned that many now risk being “left in the cold this winter”.

Around 10 Labour MPs have so far expressed public concerns about the move ahead of a Commons vote expected to take place next Tuesday.

No 10 had initially insisted it would not hold a debate - which is not required by Parliamentary rules - but relented following an outcry.

The Department for Work and Pensions has been accused of deliberately making pension credit “inaccessible” to retirees, with a 22-page form that includes questions such as: “Does your partner agree to your application?”

Ms Reeves will face further pressure after independent analysis found that up to five in six pensioners living below the poverty line are set to lose out.

There are 1.9 million retirees who earn less than two-thirds of the average household income - an internationally recognised measure of poverty.

Of those only 300,000 are claiming pension credit, which is being used as the benchmark for qualifying for the winter fuel allowance this winter.

It means 1.6 million of the poorest elderly people, who earn less than £190 per week for a single person or £327 for a couple, will lose the payment.

The report by Sir Steve Webb, a former pensions minister, suggested alternative approaches including using council tax bands instead.

“We’re talking about a group of pensioners who are on the breadline, their standard of living is well below that of most people in the country,” he said.

“What people will do is they will tighten their belts. That could mean heating less of the house, living in fewer rooms and it could mean staying in more.”

Click here to view this content.

Mel Stride, the shadow work and pensions secretary, added: “Millions of vulnerable pensioners need the Winter Fuel Payment to get through winter.

“He needs to rethink this cruel decision now, or else vulnerable retirees will suffer this winter because of Starmer’s political games.”

Ms Reeves said that Government efforts to lessen the impact will focus on getting more elderly people to sign up for pension credit.

According to official estimates, there are as many as 800,000 retirees who are eligible for the means-tested benefit but who have not applied for it.

The Chancellor pledged to launch a publicity campaign and directly write to 120,000 recipients of housing credit urging them to sign up.

But repeated attempts by Tory governments to boost the take up of pension credit in recent years using similar methods met with limited success.

03:34 PM BST

That is all for today...

Thank you for joining me for today’s politics live blog.

I will be back early tomorrow morning to guide you through what will be a big day in the Tory leadership contest as Conservative MPs vote to eliminate the first candidate from the field.

There is also PMQs at lunchtime as Sir Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak resume their head-to-head battle for the first time since the end of the summer recess.

03:18 PM BST

John Healey welcomes Ukraine’s defence minister to London talks

03:11 PM BST

Raise retirement age to 68 to ‘reduce misery’ in Britain, Reeves told

Rachel Reeves should force workers to retire later to free up funding for policing and mental health services and “reduce misery” in Britain, a report co-authored by a Labour peer has said.

A report published by the London School of Economics (LSE) urged the Chancellor to raise the state pension age to 68 “as soon as possible” as she prepares to deliver her maiden Budget next month.

Lord Layard, an economist and Labour peer who co-authored the report, said: “Rational government means spending our money to ensure the most wellbeing and the least possible misery. We now have the science to estimate benefit/cost ratios for most policies, and these should be the basis of the next Spending Review.”

You can read the full story here. 

02:48 PM BST

Atkins tells Labour to ‘hurry up and U-turn’ on winter fuel payments

The shadow health secretary has urged the Government to “hurry up and U-turn” on the decision to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners.

Victoria Atkins tweeted: “Conservatives know that pensioners rely on the winter fuel payment - we also know that keeping people warm in their homes is good health policy.

“Labour should hurry up and U-turn on this decision before it risks overwhelming our A&Es.”

02:30 PM BST

What happens next in the Tory leadership contest?

Tory MPs will vote for the first time in the leadership contest tomorrow.

There are six candidates – James Cleverly, Dame Priti Patel, Tom Tugendhat, Kemi Badenoch, Mel Stride and Robert Jenrick – and Tory MPs will be tasked with whittling the list down to four.

The first vote to eliminate a candidate is due to be held tomorrow afternoon and a second vote to eliminate a second candidate will take place on Monday Sept 9.

The four remaining candidates will then make their case to members at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham between Sept 29 and Oct 2.

Tory MPs will then vote between Oct 9-10 to eliminate two more candidates, leaving a final duo who will face a ballot of Conservative Party members.

Member voting will close at 5pm on Oct 31 and Rishi Sunak’s replacement will then be announced on Nov 2.

02:16 PM BST

Listen: The Daily T’s interviews with Tory leadership hopefuls

The Daily T podcast has done sit down interviews with four of the six Tory leadership candidates (so far).

You can find the podcasts here:

Click here to view this content.

02:00 PM BST

Reeves under pressure to introduce pay-per-mile road tax

Rachel Reeves has been urged by one of the UK’s largest transport campaign groups to introduce a pay-per-mile road tax to help fund the shift to net zero.

The Campaign for Better Transport, a 50-year-old lobby group for sustainable travel that is backed by the RAC, has written to the Chancellor ahead of next month’s Budget demanding that electric vehicle (EV) drivers pay their “fair share” in tax because they do not have to buy fossil fuel.

EVs do not incur fuel duty since they are powered by electricity. This not only gives EV drivers a tax advantage but also presents a significant challenge to the Treasury.

You can read the full story here. 

01:24 PM BST

Axing winter fuel payments a ‘chilling political choice’, says senior Tory

A senior Tory MP said Rachel Reeves had made a “chilling political choice” by scrapping winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners.

Dame Harriett Baldwin, a former minister, told the House of Commons: “Within the first few days of coming to office, the Chancellor managed to spend over £22 billion, very quickly, by setting up great British Energy, by setting up a national wealth fund and by giving in to the pay demands of her party’s union paymasters.

“Is it not the case that this Chancellor has made the chilling political choice to balance the books of this country on the very frailest shoulders?”

Treasury minister James Murray replied: “I’m disappointed that [Dame Harriett] is talking down essential investments in our country’s future that we’ve made, and that she also seems to be confused that there is a £22 billion black hole because of the unfunded spending commitments made by the party opposite when they were in government.”

01:07 PM BST

Pensioners can afford winter fuel payment cuts, suggests Reeves

Pensioners can afford the Government’s cut to winter fuel payments because of increases in the state pension and energy bills being lower than in previous years, Rachel Reeves has suggested.

Wendy Morton, the Tory former Cabinet minister, urged Ms Reeves to reconsider and reverse the decision to scrap the payments for 10 million pensioners.

She said that pensioners who “have worked hard all their lives are now worried at the prospect of losing their winter fuel payment upon which they rely”.

But speaking in the House of Commons, Ms Reeves replied: “The increases in the basic state pension mean that constituents of hers are £900 better off than they were a year ago and of course energy bills are lower this year than they were last year.

“But it is important that we ensure that the 800,000 people who missed out on pension credit under the previous Conservative government now get access to that support, because those are the poorest pensioners and at the moment they are living in poverty because the previous government failed to sign them up to pension credit.”

Ms Reeves removed the universal element of the payments and has made them means-tested instead. Only pensioners in receipt of pension credit are now eligible for the payments.

The Chancellor announced the move at the end of July as part of a package of initial measures designed to fill a £22 billion balack hole in the public finances.

12:25 PM BST

Reeves: Government will stick to corporation tax pledge

Rachel Reeves has confirmed the Government will stick to its pledge of capping corporation tax at 25 per cent for the next five years.

The Chancellor said she will set out a “tax roadmap for business” at the Budget on Oct 30.

Speaking during Treasury questions in the House of Commons, Ms Reeves said: “Investment is at the heart of this Government’s growth mission, alongside stability and reform, with robust fiscal rules and respect for economic institutions, the Government is building the confidence needed to deliver private sector investment.

“It is vital also that the tax system supports growth, and that’s why today I can confirm that at the Budget the Government will be outlining a tax roadmap for business, to offer the certainty that encourages investment and gives business the confidence to grow, including our commitment to cap corporation tax at 25 per cent for the duration of this Parliament, and to retain full expensing.”

12:17 PM BST

Head of Civil Service appears to criticise Tories’ economic record

The head of the Civil Service has appeared to criticise the Conservatives’ economic record.

Simon Case, the most senior official in Whitehall, suggested the previous Tory government had contributed to uncertainty over the public finances, according to comments leaked to the BBC.

The remarks were reportedly made in response to a letter sent by Jeremy Hunt, the shadow chancellor, accusing Labour of providing incorrect information on the state of the economy.

You can read the full story here. 

12:15 PM BST

Telegraph readers deliver verdict on Tugendhat launch speech

Tom Tugendhat vowed to deliver a “Conservative revolution” if he is elected as Rishi Sunak’s successor as he launched his bid for the Tory leadership this morning.

He also repeated his pledge to leave the European Convention on Human Rights if it cannot be successfully reformed.

Telegraph readers have delivered their verdict on the speech in the comments section of today’s politics live blog:

11:51 AM BST

Tugendhat won’t set a date for withdrawing from ECHR

Tom Tugendhat would not set a date for pulling the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights as he argued the document was out of date.

Mr Tugendhat said during his leadership speech that he would seek to reform the ECHR and if that was not possible he would then be prepared to leave.

Asked how long he would focus on attempts to reform the ECHR, he said: “I am not going to give you a date but I am going to tell you it is a reasonable time period.”

Mr Tugendhat argued that the ECHR had been written “for a different world, they wrote it for a world before jet engines, they wrote it for a world before migration numbers were in the millions, not in the thousands”.

11:36 AM BST

‘Conservative revolution’ could take two terms to deliver, says Tugendhat

The “Conservative revolution” which the UK needs could take two terms in power to deliver, Tom Tugendhat said.

Answering questions at his leadership campaign launch, he said: “I am going to need all four years of opposition to make sure that our policies are ready because I’ll tell you what, on day one I am going to need to start.

“Because the leadership we offer will need to begin right at the beginning. It is going to take us an entire term of government and maybe two to bring about the Conservative revolution that this country truly needs.”

11:28 AM BST

Tugendhat rejects centrist label

Tom Tugendhat rejected the suggestion that he is the centrist candidate in the Tory leadership contest.

Asked the question at his campaign launch in central London, he replied: “I am the Conservative candidate.”

11:24 AM BST

Tugendhat criticises Government’s decision on Israel arms sales

Tom Tugendhat criticised the Government’s decision to suspend some arms sales to Israel as he answered questions from the media.

He said it amounted to a decision to “stand against Israel’s right to defend itself”.

“That is a remarkable decision and it will be a decision that has been heard not just in Washington and Tel Aviv but around the world because if we are not willing to stand by our allies when they are literally discovering the bodies of their murdered citizens, what is the point of an alliance?

“That is why we need to spend on defence.”

11:19 AM BST

Tom Tugendhat concludes leadership speech

Turning to Sir Keir Starmer, Tom Tugendhat claimed the Prime Minister had “abandoned the country to the hard-Left”.

Concluding his speech, Mr Tugendhat said: “I will always act in the interests of my children and yours. Together we can build a better Britain.”

11:15 AM BST

Tugendhat: I am prepared to leave the ECHR

Tom Tugendhat said he would be prepared to leave the European Convention on Human Rights if it is not reformed in a “reasonable timeframe”.

He told Tory activists: “We need to opt out, to derogate as the expression goes, from some aspects of the European Convention on Human Rights and we need to reform others.

“And if we can’t achieve what we need to in a reasonable timeframe we need to be prepared, I am prepared, to leave.

“I am absolutely serious about my commitment to our security. I can’t deliver on my mission to achieve the happiness and prosperity of the British people if we are not safe at home and secure in our own country.”

11:12 AM BST

Tugendhat pledges 100,000 cap on annual net migration

Tom Tugendhat repeated his pledge to introduce an annual cap on net migration of 100,000.

He told Tory activists: “Under my leadership the maximum level of non-British net migration will be capped at 100,000 people a year.”

He also said that the UK public sector “cannot depend on other people’s children to step in for our own”.

11:09 AM BST

No ‘quick fix’ to reducing immigration, says Tugendhat

Tom Tugendhat said the “world is becoming more dangerous” and there was a need to “reset Britain’s foreign policy”.

Turning to the issue of migration, he said high-levels of low-skilled migration “is a choice” and the UK economy had become dependent on migration which was “maintaining the illusion of growth”.

Mr Tugendhat said there was no “quick fix” to reducing migration numbers.

He said: “We can only change the migration numbers and truly grow the economy...  if we are serious and honest about the choices we need to make.

“And it is just not true to say that one Bill or one treaty could do that. We need to rethink our entire economy.”

11:05 AM BST

UK ‘can’t depend on kindness of strangers’ on defence, says Tugendhat

Tom Tugendhat said the purpose of UK foreign policy must be keeping the British people safe.

The Tory leadership contender said that “our strength matters” and “investing in defence is not a choice like with other budget lines”.

Mr Tugendhat said “we can’t depend on the kindness of strangers” on defence as he called for more investment in the armed forces.

10:55 AM BST

Tugendhat: ‘Time for a new Conservative revolution’

The Tories must not waste “one moment” when they return to power, Tom Tugendhat said.

He told Tory activists: “We are choosing a new leader who sees clearly the challenges that we face and we are giving them four years to do the hard work to prepare so that the next Conservative government will not waste one moment.

“We need to be ready from day one.”

He added: “It is time for a new Conservative revolution.”

10:53 AM BST

Voters stopped taking Tories ‘seriously’, says Tugendhat

Tom Tugendhat said voters had stopped taking the Tories “seriously” and if he becomes leader he will make the party a “serious force again”.

He said: “They will never vote for a party that they have stopped taking seriously. That is why I am standing. I will make the Conservative Party a serious force again.”

Mr Tugendhat apologised for the Tory turmoil of recent years and said he had witnessed “duty give way to ego”.

“Britain deserves better,” he said.

10:49 AM BST

Tugendhat: ‘I want to be prime minister’

Tom Tugendhat is now on his feet at his Tory leadership campaign launch.

Mr Tugendhat said he was “here to apply for a job” but actually it was not the job he wanted.

“I don’t want to be leader of the opposition, I want to be prime minister,” he said.

10:47 AM BST

Tugendhat leadership launch now underway

Tom Tugendhat’s leadership launch event is now underway.

He will speak from a lectern emblazoned with the slogan: “Serve. Lead. Act.”

10:41 AM BST

Pictured: Tugendhat foam fingers on offer at candidate’s campaign launch

10:31 AM BST

Tugendhat leadership speech set to get underway

Tom Tugendhat should be on his feet shortly as he formally launches his Tory leadership campaign.

The former security minister is expected to answer questions from the press after his address.

10:15 AM BST

Poll: Starmer suffers fall in popularity as post-election honeymoon ends

Sir Keir Starmer’s post-general election honeymoon period is over, according to a new opinion poll published by YouGov.

The survey, conducted between Aug 27-28, found the percentage of people who had an unfavourable view of the Prime Minister had increased to 56 per cent, up by four points when compared to the company’s previous poll conducted between Aug 13-14.

Meanwhile, the percentage of people who had a favourable view of Sir Keir was 35 per cent which was down by three points.

That gave him a net favourability rating of minus 21. It was previously minus 14.

YouGov said Sir Keir’s favourability ratings had fallen to their “lowest levels since he became prime minister, recording his worst net favourability score since February”.

10:02 AM BST

Coming up: Tom Tugendhat to launch Tory leadership campaign

Tom Tugendhat will formally launch his bid for the Tory leadership this morning as he conducts a campaign speech in central London.

We are expecting the event to start at 10.30am and you will be able to watch it at the top of the page and I will post all of the key updates.

Mr Tugendhat is one of six candidates in the race to replace Rishi Sunak, along with Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, Dame Priti Patel, James Cleverly and Mel Stride.

09:49 AM BST

Netanyahu criticises UK’s ‘shameful decision’ to suspend some arms sales

Benjamin Netanyahu has criticised the UK’s “shameful decision” to suspend some arms sales to Israel.

The official Twitter account for the Prime Minister of Israel said the “misguided decision will only embolden Hamas”.

“With or without British arms, Israel will win this war and secure our common future,” he said.

09:46 AM BST

Pictured: Home Secretary arrives in Downing Street to attend Cabinet

09:38 AM BST

Priti Patel accuses Labour of ‘shocking betrayal’ over Israel arms sales decision

Dame Priti Patel described the Government’s decision to suspend some arms sales to Israel as a “shocking betrayal of a key UK ally”.

The Tory leadership contender and former home secretary said: “Starmer’s decision is appalling. To play politics with Israel’s security on a day they bury their dead is as saddening as it is disgraceful.

“This decision is purely for the purposes of internal Labour politics and is a total capitulation to his hard-Left Labour MPs. It’s clear that the Prime Minister doesn’t have the courage to stand up to our enemies, whether that’s Putin or Hamas.”

She added: “This shocking betrayal of a key UK ally is a terrible indication of the UK’s approach to national security under this weak Prime Minister.”

09:31 AM BST

Israeli foreign minister: UK decisions sends ‘very problematic message’ to Hamas

Israel Katz, the Israeli foreign minister, said the UK Government’s decision on arms export licences “sends a very problematic message to the Hamas terrorist organisation and its backers in Iran”.

He said: “Israel is disappointed by the British government’s recent series of decisions, including the latest decision regarding security exports to Israel, the British Government’s decision to withdraw its request to submit an amicus brief to the ICC (International Criminal Court), and its stance on UNRWA (UN relief agency for Palestinians), as well as the UK’s recent conduct and statements in the UN Security Council.

“Israel is a law-abiding state that operates in accordance with international law and has an independent and respected judicial system – we expect friendly countries, such as the UK, to recognise this all year-round, especially just days after Hamas terrorists executed six Israeli hostages, during intense negotiations for the release of the hostages and for a ceasefire, and in light of the recent threats by the Iranian regime to attack the state of Israel.

“A step like the one taken by the UK now sends a very problematic message to the Hamas terrorist organisation and its backers in Iran.

“We hope that the deep friendship between the UK and Israel, which has been maintained throughout all the years since the founding of the state of Israel, will continue in the future.”

09:14 AM BST

Pictured: David Lammy arrives in Downing Street for Cabinet meeting

09:10 AM BST

Arms sales ban ‘long overdue’, suggests ex-national security adviser

Former British diplomat and national security adviser Lord Peter Ricketts said the Government’s decision to suspend some arms exports to Israel was “long overdue.”

When asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme about any potential implications should the Government act outside of the internal legal advice it had received, Lord Rickets said: “There’s a risk of judicial review, for example, if they don’t – and that could lead to the entire arms export licensing system being called into question.

“I mean, these things are never cut and dry – there are always going to be judgments to be made.

“Most weapons can be used for defensive or offensive action, so I think they’ve tried not to look at that, but what are the weapons that are most likely used in acts that could violate international law, and it will have been a careful assessment, yes, gone over several months.

“The previous government launched the process of reviewing, and I think, honestly, this is long overdue.”

08:49 AM BST

Board of Deputies: Arms sales ban the ‘wrong decision at the wrong time’

Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, criticised the Government’s decision to suspend some arms sales to Israel as sending a “terrible message” in the country’s “hour of need”.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “On the day that those beautiful people were being buried, kidnapped from a music festival like Reading or Glastonbury, the UK decides to send a signal that it’s Israel that it wants to penalise, and that is a terrible, terrible message to be sending both to Israel in its hour of need, also to Hamas about the consequences – where consequences are for the horrific actions that Hamas has taken as a terrorist organisation, but also to other allies and adversaries around the world.

“So it is the wrong decision taken very much at the wrong time.”

08:45 AM BST

Healey signals defence projects will be scrapped to balance the books

John Healey has signalled defence projects will be scrapped as part of Labour’s efforts to repair the public finances.

The Defence Secretary said there would be “tough choices” made across Whitehall on spending and the Ministry of Defence will “do our part” to help balance the books.

Labour has accused the Tories of leaving behind a £22 billion black hole and Sir Keir Starmer has warned the Budget on Oct 30 will be “painful”.

Asked if big defence projects could be cancelled, Mr Healey told the BBC: “Well, across government we are now all dealing with public finances this year that are far worse than we or anyone else thought before the election.

“This is probably the worst inheritance of any government in living memory, so that is why both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have talked about tough choices, choices that we would not want to make or have expected to make…”

Asked if that would include defence, he said: “Including on defence, that we will make because we have to get a grip on the public finances, we have to see growth back in the economy and that is the way that we can rebuild both the wealth of this country as well as the public services.”

Asked if he was saying that some defence projects are going to have to be cancelled, he replied: “We will do our part to help this Government deal with the deficit this year and the dreadful state of the public finances that we have inherited.”

08:26 AM BST

Defence Secretary hits back at Boris Johnson

John Healey said the UK decision to suspend some arms sales to Israel was not about “pleasing any side” as he hit back at criticism from Boris Johnson.

Mr Johnson accused Labour of “abandoning Israel” and provocatively posed the question: “Do they want Hamas to win?”

Asked for his response, Mr Healey, the Defence Secretary told the BBC: “This is a Government with a duty to the rule of law. This is not a decision about pleasing any side in this.”

Mr Healey also defended the timing of the UK announcement after it was made on the same day as the burial of six hostages executed by Hamas during the weekend.

He said that “the timing was driven by the fact that Parliament returned yesterday” and it was the “first opportunity” that David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, had to report the conclusions of the Government’s review into the arms export licences.

08:17 AM BST

Israeli defence minister found UK decision ‘unwelcome’, says Healey

John Healey, the Defence Secretary, said the UK’s decision to suspend some arms exports would not weaken Israel’s security.

He told Times Radio: “It will not have a material impact on Israel’s security.”

Mr Healey said he informed his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about the suspension before it was announced.

“As I said to the defence minister Yoav Gallant yesterday when I spoke to him before the announcement, we have a duty to follow the law, but this does not alter our unshakable commitment to support Israel’s right to self-defence and to the defence of Israel if it comes under direct attack again, just as UK jets back in April helped intercept Iranian drones and missiles that were targeted directly at Israeli civilians.”

Mr Healey said Mr Gallant “found the call unwelcome”.

08:07 AM BST

Minister appears to confirm MPs will not get standalone vote on winter fuel

John Healey appeared to confirm that the Government will not make time for a specific standalone vote in the House of Commons on the decision to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners.

Opposition MPs are calling for a debate and a vote on the change but the Defence Secretary said they will have a chance to have their say on that and other matters at the Budget next month.

But the Budget will be debated and voted on in its entirety, rather than on individual measures.

Asked why the Government was not agreeing to a vote, the Defence Secretary told BBC Breakfast: “You will see next month when the Chancellor introduces the Budget, you’ll see votes in the normal way then.

“That will be an opportunity for the House of Commons to vote on a range of measures that the Government will have to take.”

08:01 AM BST

UK still ‘resolutely with Israel’, says Healey

The UK Government remains “resolutely with Israel” despite the decision to suspend some arms export licences, John Healey said.

The Defence Secretary told BBC Breakfast: “For anyone who means Israel harm to believe that this changes the UK’s absolute determination to stand with Israel, to recognise and respect its right to self-defence, to support its defence in the face of direct attacks, we are resolutely with Israel…”

He added: “We are a staunch ally of Israel, we remain a staunch ally of Israel.”

07:51 AM BST

Israel arms sales ban not a ‘political gesture’, insists Defence Secretary

John Healey rejected the suggestion that the Government’s partial ban on UK arms sales to Israel was “gesture politics”.

The Defence Secretary told BBC Breakfast: “This is not about making a political gesture. We saw too much of that under the last government.

“This is about following the rule of law and this is a Government that will respect the law.”

07:45 AM BST

John Healey rejects calls for complete ban on UK arms exports to Israel

John Healey rejected calls for a complete ban on UK arms sales to Israel.

Told that some Labour MPs wanted the Government to go further and impose a total ban, the Defence Secretary told BBC Breakfast: “I don’t accept that call.

“I understand they may make it but this is a system which, faced with the conflict in Gaza, requires the Government to review the licences that may be involved which is what we said we would do before the election and which the Foreign Secretary [David Lammy] kicked off immediately after the election.

“And at the first opportunity having had that legal advice, accepted the conclusions, he made the announcement to parliament yesterday at the first day that MPs came back after the summer recess.”

Click here to view this content.

07:40 AM BST

Defence Secretary: Export ban applies to items being used for ‘offensive purposes’ in Gaza

John Healey said the Government had only suspended weapons export licences on items which could be used by Israel for “offensive purposes” in Gaza.

The Defence Secretary was asked why the UK had suspended 30 licences out of a total of 350, instead of choosing to suspend all of them.

He told BBC Breakfast: “Because these are the parts for equipment which are being used in Gaza, in the conflict, for offensive purposes and the vast majority of other components or parts or items that this country exports to Israel are either not related to the conflict or may be used for Israel’s defence.

“And so this is very specific, we are following the rules of a tough export regime that has been in place for a number of years in this country and it reflects the fact that this is a government that has a duty to the law and will follow the law.”

07:35 AM BST

Arms sales ban ‘would have been done with US blessing’, says ex-minister

A former defence minister said the UK’s decision to suspend some arms sales to Israel would have been taken “with the blessing” of the US.

Tobias Ellwood, a Tory former MP, said the decision to suspend 30 licences out of a total of 350 was “symbolic” and would not impact Israel’s fighting capability.

Asked if the decision was symbol or effective, he told Sky News: “Symbolic, very much symbolic. The Arms Export Control Act is very, very clear. It is not a decision about whether international law has been broken but there is a phrase in there to say that if there is clear roisk that they might be used, weapons systems might be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law then British must act.

“So it is symbolic... it will effect some components... it won’t effect Israel’s material ability to fight. But it would have been done with the blessing of the United States.”

07:29 AM BST

Suspending Israel arms sales was ‘difficult decision’, says Tobias Ellwood

Tobias Ellwood, the Tory former defence minister, said the Government’s decision to suspend some arms sales to Israel would have been “difficult” given the UK’s “friendship with the country.

The former MP told Sky News: “There is no doubt this was a difficult decision by the United Kingdom, given the friendship we have with Israel.

“Only a few months ago RAF jets were scrambled to help defend Israel from that large Iranian drone and missile attack.

“But yesterday’s announcement has come after weeks of warnings from the international community, including David Cameron, the last foreign secretary, that Israel was still not taking all possible measures to prevent civilian suffering and damage to infrastructure.”

07:18 AM BST

Boris Johnson attacks Labour over decision to suspend Israel arms sales

Boris Johnson has accused the Government of “abandoning Israel” after Labour announced plans to suspend some arms export licences.

The former prime minister tweeted this morning: