According to media reports, there has been a breakthrough in negotiations in Doha, where an agreement was reached between Qatari mediators, the Israeli negotiators, and the Middle East envoys of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
The first phase of the reported ceasefire agreement between will see an estimated 33 Israeli hostages released over a 60-day period.
“Humanitarian” cases, including women, children, men over 50, and the sick, would be released first, in exchange for as many as 1300 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Later on at PMQs, Conservative MP for Windsor Jack Rankin raised the plight of Avinatan Or, boyfriend of former hostage Noa Argamani,who was freed from Hamas captivity following a raid by the IDF.
“Today marks 467 days in captivity for Avinatan Or”, he told the Commons, “Avinatan is my age. He has his whole life ahead of him. I felt the raw pain of his family when his mum Ditza, a British citizen, shared her story with me as part of the ‘Twin a Hostage’ campaign.”
Rankin urged Starmer to do “everything in his power to ensure all the hostages have returned so Avinatan can be at home where he belongs with Ditza and his girlfriend, Noa.”
The prime minister thanked Rankin for raising Or’s case and added: “It's appalling that Hamas continue to detain Avinatan and other hostages, including [British-Israeli] Emily Damari. I know he has spent time with the families and it is nothing short of torture what they are going through.”
The Labour leader continued: “we will do absolutely everything to ensure that we make progress in bringing these hostages home.”
Turning to other topics in Westminster, Starmer and opposition leader Kemi Badenoch clashed over the resignation yesterday of Tulip Siddiq from her post as Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
He clashed with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch over ethic in government following the resignation of Tulip Siddiq as Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Image: UK Parliament)[Missing Credit]
The MP for Hampstead and Highgate, whose responsibilities in government included combating corruption and financial crime, had been under fire since December when a probe by Bangladesh’s new administration accused recently-deposed leader Sheikh Hasina, Siddiq’s aunt, of bribery and embezzlement, with accusations the former minister may have benefitted from those links.
In her resignation letter she told Starmer that "continuing in my role as Economic Secretary to the Treasury is likely to be a distraction from the work of the Government."
“What does it tell us about his judgment that yesterday, he said he was saddened that his close friend resigned?” Kemi Badenoch said.
She continued: “This was an anti-corruption minister under criminal investigation for corruption. Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Prize winner advising Bangladesh, said London properties gifted to the former city minister may be proceeds of ‘robbery’.”
Badenoch also urged Starmer to “offer Bangladesh the full support of our National Crime Agency in ensuring that any properties bought with stolen funds are properly investigated?”
The PM responded that Siddiq had referred herself to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards who “found, as she well knows, there was no breach of the [ministerial] code”.
He contrasted this with the resignation of ministerial standards chief Sir Alex Allan over Boris Johnson’s refusal to sack then-Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel over claims of bullying, despite the fact an inquiry found that Patel had broken ministerial code.
“It was the advisor that then had to resign because he wasn't taken seriously, but she's now serving the Leader of the Opposition. What a contrast. Thank God the British public chucked them out”, Starmer hit back.
Badenoch was a junior minister in the Johnson government at the time of Allan’s resignation
