UK limits Israel weapon sales and ‘ticket pricing action’
A number of Tuesday’s papers lead with the news that the UK has restricted the sale of some weapons parts to Israel. The i says 30 of 350 existing export permits have been suspended because of concerns the use of the parts would breach international law.
The Financial Times says British arms account for only 1% of Israeli imports and that the affected licences will be kept under review. It adds, though, that the UK is the first major Western ally to suspend sales since the start of the current conflict and that the decision represents a “significant diplomatic blow”.
The move will affect components for fighter aircraft, helicopters, drones, and targeting equipment, according to the Times. The paper quotes Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant saying he was “deeply disheartened” by the decision. “This comes at a time when we fight a war on 7 different fronts – a war that was launched by a savage terrorist organization, unprovoked,” he said. “At a time when we mourn 6 hostages who were executed in cold blood by Hamas inside tunnels in Gaza. At a time when we fight to bring 101 hostages home.”
The Guardian says the UK’s policy on Israel has until now been “tightly coordinated” with the US and that the decision is “likely to cause tensions” with the Biden administration. It also quotes the Foreign Office saying that no definitive conclusion has been reached on whether UK arms have contributed to the destruction of Gaza, but that the scale of the destruction and the number of civilian deaths have caused great concern.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is facing a backlash from his party over plans that will see around 10 million pensioners in England and Wales lose the winter fuel payment, according to the Daily Mail. The paper adds, however, that Sir Keir has told his MPs he won’t tolerate dissent on the issue and will be “really tough on this”.
The Daily Telegraph says carmakers are delaying deliveries of petrol and hybrid cars in order to meet the zero emission vehicle mandate, which requires at least 22% of their sales to be electric from this year. The paper quotes one company saying the delays mean someone ordering an emitting vehicle at some dealerships today will not receive it until February.
Conservative leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch has said her party needs to return to its traditional values if it is to succeed at the next election, according to the Daily Express. The paper reports that, speaking at her campaign launch on Monday, Ms Badenoch said the last government had been defeated because it “talked right but governed left” and that the Tories needed to “reboot, rest, and rewire”.
The Metro reports that the mother of missing student Jack O’Sullivan has said she has received hoax messages from people trying to make money from his disappearance. Jack, who was living with his parents while studying a law conversion course in Bristol, failed to return home after going for a night out with friends in March. The paper quotes mother Catherine saying some of the messages have claimed “awful things have happened” to him and demanded a ransom for his return.
Sir Keir has vowed to take action after surge pricing saw some Oasis fans hit with huge price rises while trying to secure tickets to the band’s comeback tour, according to the Daily Mirror. The paper quotes Sir Keir saying: “There are a number of things we can do and we should do.”
And the Daily Star says broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson, who hosts The Grand Tour with James May and Richard Hammond, has revealed that one of the reasons the show is ending is that the “world is too dangerous to drive anywhere”.
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