Full Breakdown
UK’s New Sanctions on Israel Yield No Additional Arms Export Licence Revocations
By Drooid · · How we work
New sanctions and export policy
The Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, framed the steps as a “double lock against arms sales” to Israel. Despite the announcement, the Department for Trade confirmed that no additional licences have been revoked or suspended since 8 September 2026. The department explained that existing licences covering items deemed to “materially contribute to the occupation” had already been suspended following Israel’s Gaza conflict.
Official statements & responses
Miliband told the Labour Party conference that the government had “called out ethnic cleansing” in the occupied West Bank and cited “evidence of war crimes” in Gaza. He later reiterated the commitment to block exports that could support the occupation. Foreign Secretary Miliband’s remarks are captured in the verbatim quote below.
Data & statistics
- Existing licences for Israel cover re-exports and civilian-grade items such as body armour; fighter-jet components and UK-made trainer-aircraft parts continue to flow to Tel Aviv.
- The Ministry of Defence maintains contracts worth “hundreds of millions of pounds” with Israeli arms firms.
- UN trade data show the value of Israeli military goods imported by the UK rose from £55,000 in 2023 to £5.9 million in 2025, a more-than-100-fold increase.
- Over 300 British soldiers participated in a training exercise run by Israel’s Elbit Systems shortly before the sanctions were announced.
Verbatim quotes
- “We hear you. You were right” — Mr Miliband, foreign secretary
- “This appears to mean no concrete consequences for Israel after this government recognised the likelihood of war crimes, ethnic cleansing and what it terms Israeli terrorism” — Dearbhla Minogue, a lawyer from Global Legal Action Network