Six months into the war in Gaza, the Tories are hopelessly divided over Israel

As Britain contemplates a ban on the sale of arms to Israel, the Conservative civil war is threatening to influence the government’s handling of a real-life conflict, writes Andrew Grice

Former deputy foreign secretary Alan Duncan could be expelled from the Conservative Party after calling for action against pro-Israel Tory ‘extremists’ (PA Archive)

For six months, the divided Conservatives have enjoyed the rare luxury of being united on the Israel-Hamas conflict. In contrast, Labour could not disguise its split, as many of its MPs urged Keir Starmer to take a stronger line against Israel over the horrific events unfolding in Gaza.

Now the boot is on the other foot. After the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza, Labour is broadly united in calling for the UK to end arms exports to Israel if the government’s legal advice says the country is breaching international humanitarian law. (Even now, Labour’s line is still more cautious than that of the SNP, Liberal Democrats and Greens, who have called for an unconditional ban.)

Labour’s traditional support for the Palestinian cause created a headache for Starmer, while the Tories’ once-loud Arabist wing has long been quiet. The Conservatives are an overwhelmingly pro-Israel party, and the Conservative Friends of Israel is a very influential lobby group.