Academics challenge Starmer to accept Israel’s siege of Gaza is against international law – UK politics live

• Labour has been urged to clarify its position on collective punishment in the context of Israel’s response to the 7 October Hamas massacre of Israeli citizens, in a letter to Keir Starmer signed by 39 academics. The Labour party has been approached for a response. (See 3.03pm.)

• Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s first minister, has concluded his party conference with a speech announcing a council tax freeze for next year. In a wide-ranging address, he also said he had “no idea” what Keir Starmer stood for, urged the SNP to make the case for independence by explaining its benefits, and not by focusing on the process, and said what was happening in Gaza was collective punishment. See 4.48pm for a full summary.

Schools minister Nick Gibb tells MPs he knew of £370m school funding blunder four weeks before it was made public

Richard Adams

Nick Gibb, the schools minister, told MPs that the government knew about the £370m black hole in England’s schools budget at least four weeks before it was made public – but said it would be “irresponsible” to restore the promised funding.

Responding to a call by Labour to explain the accounting blunder that overstated how much schools would receive next year, Gibb said Department for Education’s officials had taken responsibility for the error, and added:

What would be irresponsible would be to increase funding for schools by 0.62% solely as a result of an error by officials.

After he was informed by officials in mid-September, Gibb told MPs that his instinct was to rectify the error “as quickly as possible”, with the announcement of the error only published four weeks later alongside the recalculated national funding formula.

In July Gibb had told parliament that mainstream school funding would rise by 2.7% a pupil between 2023-24 and 2024-25. But the revised DfE figures issued on 6 October put the rise at just 1.9% – around £50 less per pupil. An average secondary school will receive around £57,000 less than anticipated.

School leaders in England have complained that they had already been drawing up their budgets for the 2024-25 academic year, saying they will now have to start again in making calculations over hiring staff and spending on trips and activities.

Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, said:

Since this house returned after the summer recess, ministers have been forced to come here twice. First to explain how his government left school buildings in such a parlous state that many are now at risk of collapse. And now to explain that the Conservatives are taking £370m out of schools budget allocations for next year. It is shambolic. It is chaotic, and our children deserve a lot better.

Gibb retorted that the total schools budget was unchanged, so that no money was being taken away.

Andrew Gwynne, the Labour MP for Denton and Reddish, told Gibb:

The minister’s argument, in a nutshell, is that you didn’t have the money so you’ve not lost it. But the point is that local authorities received a notional funding allocation and were beginning to plan based on the figure that was given by the government.

To places like Stockport, Tameside and Manchester, these are not insubstantial figures that are going to be withdrawn from those areas. So can I politely say to the minister: his argument is incoherent, I’ll grade him D-minus, and his maths is appalling.

Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem deputy leader, said:

The Department of Education has been plagued by a litany of failures for far too long. It’s had a devastating impact on children, their parents and on teachers. We had the mutant algorithm. We’ve had the Raac roofs, we’ve got an absolute crisis in our Send [special educational needs and disabilities] system, and now this bit of good old-fashioned incompetence.

Here is a summary of the main lines from Humza Yousaf’s speech to the SNP’s conference.

• Yousaf said he had “no idea” what Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, stood for. He said:

And when it comes to values, I’ve got absolutely no idea what Keir Starmer stands for.

The closer he gets to Downing Street, the further he retreats from his principles.

Once upon a time, he agreed with the SNP that it was abhorrent to force women who had been raped to provide proof before they could access child benefits.

But, now Labour say they plan to apply Tory policies like the rape clause – in their words – “more fairly”.

He was particularly critical of Starmer’s stance on Brexit.

On the economy, Keir Starmer says he wants growth, growth, growth.

There’s a huge problem with that.

Because he also supports Brexit, Brexit, Brexit.

Brexit can’t be made to work for Scotland.

It has been an unmitigated disaster.

Around half of our fellow Scots already support independence.

I have no doubt that we can turn that half into a sustained majority.

And we will do so when we concentrate not on the how – but on the why.

At the next election, page 1 line 1 of our manifesto will say ‘vote SNP for Scotland to become an independent country’.

And the reason that will be page 1, line 1 of our next manifesto is because independence is about building a better Scotland.

Independence is not simply an end in itself.

It is inextricably linked to the cost of living crisis.

It’s about raising living standards.

It’s about protecting our NHS.

I can confirm that by the end of this parliament the SNP government will – subject of course to due diligence and market testing – go directly to the international bond market for the first time in our own right.

To fund vital infrastructure like affordable housing projects, we will issue Scotland’s first ever bond.

This will bring Scotland to the attention of investors across the world.

And it will raise our profile as a place where investment returns can be made.

• He said the Scottish government would be investing up to £500m over five years to anchor “a new offshore wind supply chain” in Scotland. He also announed £400,000 to rejuvenate Union Street in Aberdeen, which he described as “the silver mile of Scotland’s energy capital”.

• He said the Scottish government would spend £500,000 on a pilot offering support for women who need financial help to leave an abusive partner. Explaining it, he said:

It’s called the Fund to Leave. It will be delivered by Women’s Aid groups in the five councils areas with the highest numbers of women presenting as homeless due to domestic abuse.

Women will receive up to £1,000 to help them pay for the essentials that they and their children need.

• He said Scotland would be the first place to provide sanctuary if the UK government set up a refugee scheme for the people of Gaza, as he said it should. (See 3.40pm.)

At the Tory conference, the UK home secretary warned about what she described as a ‘hurricane’ of migrants coming to the UK, and other western countries.

When I hear that dog-whistle language it makes me shudder.

It makes me resolve to work even harder for independence – so that Scotland’s immigration policies are decided here in Scotland.

Never ever again by extremist Westminster politicians.

Not only is the anti-migrant rhetoric morally wrong, it is also bad for our economy.

Our migration policy will be founded on core principles: welcoming, internationalist and compassionate.

We will never forget that in the toughest of times our country faced, Nicola was the calmest of voices and the coolest of heads.

Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s first minister, used his speech to the SNP conference to announce that he is freezing council tax in Scotland. As PA Media reports, the Scottish government had opened a consultation which could see council tax on the highest bands increased by between 7.5% and 22.5%. But Yousaf told the conference.

We have consulted on what level the council tax should be next year. And conference, we have reached our decision.

I can announce to the people of Scotland that, next year, your council tax will be frozen. That’s the SNP delivering for people when they need it the most.

Yousaf has just finished. I will post highlights from his speech soon.

The Conservative MP Peter Bone has had the whip withdrawn by his party following the publication of a report from the independent expert panel yesterday saying he should be suspended from the Commons for six weeks for bullying and sexual misconduct.

A spokesperson for the chief whip, Simon Hart, said: “Following a report by the independent expert panel, the chief whip has removed the Conservative whip from Peter Bone MP.”

With the whip withdrawn, Bone would not be able to stand as a Conservative candidate at the next election. However, Bone’s parliamentary career may end a lot sooner than that. The six-week suspension is certain to be agreed by the Commons, and after that his constituents will be able to trigger a recall election by getting 10% of voters to sign a petition calling for one.

An MP subject to the recall process can stand again for their party, as the Tory Chris Davies did in Brecon and Radnorshire (where he lost).

But with the whip suspended from Bone, that would not be an option for him.

Yousaf told the SNP conference that he wants the international community to commit to “a worldwide refugee programme for the people of Gaza”.

And he said that the UK should set up its own refugee scheme for people in Gaza who want to leave. Scotland would be the first place to offer sanctuary, he said.

I am calling on the UK government to take two urgent steps.

Firstly, they should immediately begin work on the creation of a refugee resettlement scheme for those in Gaza who want to, and are able to, leave.

And when they do so, Scotland is willing to be the first country in the UK to offer safety and sanctuary to those caught up in these terrible attacks.

Yousaf condemns the Hamas attack on Israelis, and the way Palestinians in Gaza are being treated now.

What we are witnessing in the Middle East is truly heart-breaking.

Imagine waking up on a Saturday morning, during one of your holy festivals – as families across Israel did last week – to find that your loved ones had been murdered or kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.

It is beyond words, and to be condemned in the strongest possible manner.

Or imagine living in the Gaza strip under constant bombardment right now.

No food, no water, no power.

Friends,

Tragically, we don’t have to imagine.

This is the reality for Israeli and Palestinian families alike.

Yousaf calls for the release of Israeli hostages, and the lifting of the siege of Gaza. He says what is happening there amounts to “collective punishment, and can never be justified”.

The hostages must be released.

And a humanitarian corridor must be opened, vital supplies let in, and Gazans who want to leave must be allowed to leave.

The blockade of Gaza must end.

Conference, we are absolutely clear that the life of a Palestinian is equal to the life of an Israeli.

It is right for the world to condemn the actions of Hamas – unequivocally.

But any form of collective punishment, as we are seeing in Gaza, can never be justified.

Academics challenge Starmer to accept Israel’s siege of Gaza is against international law

Haroon Siddique

Labour has been urged to clarify its position on collective punishment in the context of Israel’s response to the 7 October Hamas massacre of Israeli citizens, in a letter to Keir Starmer signed by 39 academics.

The signatories, including experts in international law, international humanitarian law, international criminal law and related disciplines say that comments by Starmer, Emily Thornberry and David Lammy have provided tacit approval of the war crime of collective punishment.

Starmer attracted criticism from the Labour Muslim Network and the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian authorities, among others, when, asked in an interview with LBC about Israel cutting off water and electricity, he said “Israel does have that right” while adding that “obviously everything should be done within international law”. Several Muslim Labour councillors have resigned in response to Starmer’s comments.

On Sunday, the Labour leader issued a statement calling on on “all parties to act in line with international law, including allowing humanitarian access of food, water, electricity and medicines to Gaza”. But the letter says the latter statement “does nothing to rescind your tacit approval of Israel’s collective punishment of the population of Gaza”.

It states:

The right to self-defence is not unqualified, it is bound by longstanding laws that form one of the pillars of a rules-based international order. International humanitarian law, including the fourth Geneva Convention and additional protocols, prohibits collective punishment in all circumstances. The imposition of collective punishment can be considered a war crime under customary international law. The cutting off of food, water and electricity to the population of Gaza is a clear case of collective punishment.

Indiscriminate bombing of populated areas, the use of white phosphorus, as documented by Human Rights Watch on 12 October, and the forced transfer of a population are incompatible with international humanitarian law. The atrocities committed by Hamas on 7 October and its slaughter of Israeli citizens do not abrogate international humanitarian law; on the contrary, these laws were designed for precisely these circumstances.

We request that you immediately issue a public and detailed clarification of Labour’s legal position on collective punishment and on the forcible transfer of civilians. We request that you confirm that you and your party oppose the commission of war crimes, wherever and whenever they may occur.

There is a copy of the letter here. Michelle Farrell, a professor of international law at Liverpool University and one of the signatories, has posted it on X.

Yesterday the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) issued Starmer, Thornberry and Lammy with notices of intention to prosecute “for their role in aiding and abetting Israel’s perpetration of war crimes”.