Oral Answers to Questions

Yasmin Qureshi Excerpts

Wednesday 11th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

May I start with the important point that the hon. Lady makes about Ballymena? I utterly condemn the violence that we saw overnight in Ballymena and other parts of Northern Ireland, including against PSNI officers. It is absolutely vital that the PSNI is given the time it needs to investigate the incidents concerned, rather than face mindless attacks as it seeks to bring peace and order to keep people safe. The Northern Ireland Secretary is in touch with the PSNI and the Executive, and I am being kept updated in relation to that.

In relation to the tragic cases that the hon. Lady mentions, I thank her for raising them. It is important that we have a legal duty of candour and we will be introducing that, because, as she says, there must be the truth here, based on all people being dealt with on the basis of dignity, fairness and accountability.

[Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South and Walkden) (Lab)]

Q6. In the words of the former Israeli Prime Minister, what we are witnessing in Gaza is the“indiscriminate, limitless, cruel and criminal killing of civilians.” More than 50,000 people have been killed, and children have been shot while queuing for bread. A growing number of genocide scholars, including leading Israeli academics, believe that a genocide is taking place. Under international law, we have a duty to prevent genocide. I served on the UN mission in Kosovo. We acted to stop mass killing there. What is the difference now? Will the Prime Minister please intervene immediately to alleviate human suffering, and take steps to recognise the state of Palestine?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend will have seen the statement we made yesterday and the actions that we are taking with allies. The humanitarian situation is dreadful and distressing, and the scenes that we have witnessed outside aid distribution centres are frankly heartbreaking. More aid into Gaza is needed at volume and speed, and Israel’s plan for aid delivery is inadequate and insufficient. What is needed is for the UN and other agencies to deliver that aid according to well-established mechanisms, and Israel must allow this. We are working with allies to do all that we can to make this happen, as well as to get the hostages out—they have been held for a very long time—and a desperately needed return to a ceasefire.