UK Government Rejects Public Inquiry Into Military Cooperation and Arms Sales to Israel

On October 19, 2026, the British government led by Prime Minister Andy Burnham formally rejected a demand by former Labour leader and current Your Party parliamentary leader Jeremy Corbyn to launch an independent, Chilcot-style public inquiry into the United Kingdom's military, economic, and political involvement in Israel's war in Gaza. The decision was delivered in response to a written parliamentary question by Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty, who stated that an official public tribunal was unnecessary because extensive parliamentary mechanisms for oversight and accountability are already active.

Corbyn had written to Burnham in July 2026 shortly after Burnham took office, urging him to support legislation for a public inquiry. A previous version of Corbyn's bill had been rejected during its second reading under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer's administration. The proposed inquiry specifically aimed to investigate British weapons supplies, Royal Air Force surveillance overflights, intelligence operations, and the use of British military infrastructure, including RAF bases in Cyprus. Despite previous restrictions, such as Starmer's suspension of 30 arms export licenses in September 2025, the UK government continues to permit military supply transfers, including components for F-35 fighter jets, while RAF surveillance flights and intelligence sharing have persisted under Burnham's government.

Following the government's response, Corbyn issued a statement emphasizing that delaying scrutiny would not erase questions regarding British complicity in Gaza, where health authorities and human rights organizations report over 70,000 to 74,480 deaths since October 2023. Corbyn asserted that if the government had nothing to hide, it would not block attempts to expose the truth. Representatives from the Stop the War Coalition and Your Party echoed these concerns, characterizing Burnham's refusal as a continuation of previous policy despite his earlier public statements acknowledging that the Labour Party had gotten it wrong on Gaza.

The debate over British involvement in the Gaza conflict follows years of escalating political pressure regarding UK arms sales and intelligence cooperation with Israel. Since the escalation of hostilities in Gaza in October 2023, critics and human rights organizations have repeatedly challenged the UK government over its military ties, including surveillance flights operating from RAF bases in Cyprus and the export of components for military aircraft such as F-35 stealth fighters.

In September 2025, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government enacted a partial suspension of 30 arms export licenses to Israel. However, opposition figures and anti-war campaigners argued the measures were insufficient as key defense components and intelligence operations remained active. Last year, Jeremy Corbyn organized an unofficial Gaza Tribunal in London to gather testimonies from doctors, journalists, and aid workers. The tribunal concluded that the British government failed in its legal duty to prevent genocide, escalating demands for a formal public investigation modeled after the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War.