A further 100 famous actors, activists, musicians and sportspeople have joined hundreds of others calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to suspend arms sales to Israel
More than 300 prominent figures from the worlds of film, music, literature, activism and sport, including Dame Judi Dench, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai and actor Stanley Tucci, have added their names to an open letter urging Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to take immediate action to end what they describe as the United Kingdom’s “complicity” in the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The letter, organised by the refugee charity Choose Love, demands a full suspension of all UK arms sales and export licences to Israel, as well as the urgent facilitation of humanitarian aid into Gaza and a brokered permanent ceasefire.
Among the newly announced signatories are actors Florence Pugh and Russell Tovey, Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa, musician Paolo Nutini, author Michael Rosen, singer Paul Weller, Little Mix members Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall, broadcaster Fearne Cotton, Game of Thrones actress Carice van Houten, Harry Potter star Bonnie Wright and former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw.
They join a growing list of celebrities, including Dua Lipa, Benedict Cumberbatch and Gary Lineker, who had previously endorsed the call for government action. The campaign has gained momentum as the situation in Gaza continues to worsen, with humanitarian organisations warning of a deepening crisis.
The letter states: “Children are starving while food and medicine sit just minutes away. Seventy-one thousand children under the age of four are acutely malnourished, and those who survive starvation wake up to bombs falling on them. More than 15,000 children have already been killed.”
It continues: “Violence stamped with UK inaction – flown with parts shipped from British factories to Israel – could be obliterating families in seconds. You can’t call it ‘intolerable’, yet do nothing. Every moment this continues is another moment children die on our watch.”
Addressing the Prime Minister directly, the letter declares: “History is written in moments of moral clarity. This is one. The world is watching, and history will not forget. The children of Gaza cannot wait another minute. Prime Minister, what will you choose? Complicity in war crimes, or the courage to act?”
In September 2024, the UK government suspended around 30 arms export licences to Israel. However, export licensing data published in May revealed that between October and December 2024, the UK approved £127.6 million worth of military equipment sales to Israel — more than the total approved between 2020 and 2023 combined.
Although Prime Minister Starmer has described Israel’s military strikes and blockade of aid into Gaza as “appalling and intolerable”, he has yet to announce further steps. Increasing pressure is being applied from within his own party, with some Labour MPs calling for the government to formally acknowledge the conflict as genocide — a term Starmer has so far avoided using.
On 10 June, the UK joined Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in imposing sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. The ministers were sanctioned for repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian civilians and are now subject to UK travel bans, asset freezes and director disqualifications.
Meanwhile, Starmer has announced the deployment of additional Royal Air Force assets, including Typhoon fighter jets and aerial refuelling aircraft, to the Middle East in light of recent clashes between Israel and Iran. On Tuesday, the Prime Minister expressed concern over the escalating regional conflict and its implications for Gaza.
Josie Naughton, co-founder and Chief Executive of Choose Love, said that support for the campaign is growing rapidly. “Since we urged the government to end its complicity in the horrors of Gaza, more people have added their voices to our call,” she said. “We cannot be silent while children are being killed and families are being starved.”
Naughton highlighted a recent public act of remembrance held by campaigners outside Parliament, where all 15,613 names of children killed in Gaza were read aloud over 18 hours.
“Every single one of them was someone’s whole universe,” she said. “Every one of them deserved better. The situation is changing by the second, but until the UK government halts all arms sales and licences to Israel, ensures humanitarian aid can reach people starving inside Gaza, and stops the killing, they will not have done enough.”
She concluded: “History will remember how we acted in this moment. We beg Keir Starmer to end the UK’s complicity in these horrors.”
In response, a government spokesperson reiterated the UK’s stance on the conflict, stating: “We strongly oppose the expansion of military operations in Gaza and call on the Israeli government to cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid. The denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza is unacceptable and risks breaching international humanitarian law.”
The spokesperson added: “Last year, we suspended export licences to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza and continue to refuse licences for military goods that could be used by Israel in the current conflict. We urge all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire agreement and work towards a permanent and sustainable peace.”
As the humanitarian toll in Gaza mounts and international concern escalates, pressure continues to grow on the British government to match its rhetoric with decisive action.
