Meeting of the Parliament 03 September 2025
I will have to make some progress, but I will be closing for our side, and I will take as many questions as I can at that point, as I have no written remarks prepared.
Britain must speak with both clarity and compassion, yet if we are to speak seriously about peace, we must look beyond Gaza, because Hamas does not act alone. Behind Hamas, behind Hezbollah in Lebanon, behind the Houthis in Yemen, stands the same hand: Tehran. Iran has spent decades arming, funding and directing a network of proxies. It thrives on conflict and instability, exporting chaos to entrench its own dictatorship. Every rocket fired into Israel and every drone launched across borders bears the fingerprints of the Iranian regime. So, that means pressing the United Nations for action there, too. It means working with allies to stop Iran’s weapons from flowing into the region, and it means refusing to let those who seek to delegitimise Israel from dominating the narrative. Compassion for the innocent does not weaken our resolve.
That is why Britain and Scotland cannot afford to be naive. This is not simply about territory or religion; it is a struggle between a democratic state with a Government with which people may have issues seeking peace and a terror network that is fuelled by an authoritarian regime that despises peace. If we are serious about stability, we must be serious about countering Iran’s malign influence diplomatically and economically where necessary, alongside our allies.
In this chamber, we might differ on emphasis, but we should not differ on the principle that Israel has the right to live free from terror and that Palestinians have the right to live free from fear and in peace in a state that can be recognised. Britain has the responsibility to stand always on the side of peace, security and the rule of law. That means solidarity with our allies, compassion for civilians caught in the crossfire and confronting those powers that profit from endless war.
This conflict should remind us of a simple truth, which is that the values that we cherish—democracy, security and the sanctity of human life—are defended not by words alone but by resolve. Our resolve must be clear. We stand for Israel’s right to exist. We stand for peace and a renewal of hope for all the Palestinian people. We stand against those, from Hamas to Tehran, who would see both destroyed. That is the moral duty of our nation. That is the path to a future that is worthy of the peoples of the middle east.
I move amendment S6M-18686.3, to insert after “Palestine”:
“at the appropriate time and as part of a wider and lasting peace settlement in which the Palestinian people are free from the control of Hamas,”.
16:00Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.
- S6M-18686.3 Palestine Motion