Lib Dem leader Ed Davey has urged ex-PM Tony Blair to brief
MPs on his US visit and talks with Donald Trump about Gaza, calling for full
parliamentary scrutiny.
Blair's visit to the White House to discuss the region's future was confirmed Thursday.
Davey said on the US social media company X:
“Tony Blair needs to come before parliament to give evidence about his discussions with the Trump administration about the ongoing war and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.”
Trump has a unique power to end this war. We must leverage all the information at our disposal to make him do the right thing.
Ed Davey said that Blair should be clear about his involvement and tell Parliament and the UK government what was said and learned because he should be using the information to help end the war, secure hostage releases, and provide humanitarian aid.
Since October 2023, Israel has killed around 63,000 Palestinians in Gaza. The famine-stricken enclave has been decimated by the military campaign.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were both wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza in November.
Because of its war on the enclave, Israel is also facing a genocide prosecution at the International Court of Justice.
How might Blair’s White House role affect UK foreign policy credibility?
Historical context of Blair’s foreign policy demonstrates
clear consistency with US-centered interests, which has sometimes strained the
UK’s relations with other partners in a global context, including with
organizations such as the EU and the United Nations.
Blair's involvement in the Middle East could exacerbate the perception that the UK plays a subordinate, strategic supportive role to the US, which could severely impact the UK’s image as an independent, credible, and balanced player in Middle Eastern diplomacy.
Alternatively, there are those that would view Blair participation in Gaza as a positive outcome of being able to exploit close personal and political relationships with US leadership to effectively forward UK's interests socially, politically, and humanitarian objectives for Gaza.