Labour calls on government to publish legal guidance on arms export to Israel | Israel-Hamas war

Jonathan Rendell standing by for us this morning via Zoom. There he is in Derby, I think. It's good to see you. Thanks for taking the time to join us on the programme. Talk to me about this letter that's been sent to the Prime Minister. Put me glasses on then I can read more detail. More than 600 lawyers, academics, retired senior judges saying, you know what, the British government would be breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel. I've been asking your colleagues about it all week and none of them have wanted to say that we shouldn't. What do you think, should we be pausing sending arms to Israel? Good morning, yes from Derby. So the government should publish, okay, the legal advice. So there is a very clear legal regime in the United Kingdom about arms exports where there is any danger of anything exported from the United Kingdom being involved in a serious breach of humanitarian law, then it cannot be exported. So if that threshold has been met, there should be no arms sales to Israel of anything that could be involved in that. And of course the government will have had information on this. We believe the exceptional step of publishing that is the right response to the concerns that we have seen and as I say, if that threshold has been met, the law of the UK should be followed and things should not be exported and cross that threshold. Let me put it this way, Mr Reynolds, if I may. Should the arms licenses to Israel at least be suspended until the investigation into the killing of the British aid workers is concluded? Well the regime is a robust one as it stands. The point would not be about suspending something. If anything is exported from the UK that could be at risk of being involved in a breach of humanitarian law, then it must not be exported. So I believe that the right thing to do is to apply that regime and we need to see the advice from the government has received. There have been a lot of rumours as to what that would be. Publishing that transparently is the right step and as I say, there's no question as to what happens if that threshold has been met, those goods cannot be exported. What are you going to say to the families of those three British aid workers whose bodies are now on the final tragic journey back to the United Kingdom? You know, they want answers. Of course they do and everybody's thoughts and prayers are with the families of those three British aid workers and of course important to say it's not just British nationals who've been involved in this, there have been many deaths of humanitarian workers in Gaza since this conflict began and that unconscionable cycle of violence. Clearly the specific incident requires an independent international investigation. I think that is the minimum that we could expect in a situation like this. But this is a horrendous situation and I wish I could tell UK that I believe there's a straightforward roadmap to the ceasefire. We all want to see to the expansion of humanitarian aid and of course that the freeing of the hostages still being kept. It is a horrible situation but we have to apply the laws of the United Kingdom, we have to respond to what has happened and I believe particularly on the issue of arms exports there's a clear set of steps that should be taken that begin with the publishing of that legal advice but of course nothing will make up for the horrendous loss of loved ones that we've seen over the last few days. I'm going to bring you back to those three and yes there were seven but these three guys in particular I want to focus on this morning and they were doing good in countries that were not their own. Previously each of them served their country in uniform and they were spectacular human beings. One of my colleagues, he's a tough old character and he's been in tears a couple of times over what's happened to these guys. How angry should we be at what's happened to them? We should be very angry. I mean there can be nothing other than the unequivocal condemnation of what has happened to these three heroes and as I say reflecting something which has affected many humanitarian workers who heroically responded to the human suffering by going to a conflict zone but nothing can justify what has happened to these three people and of course we need answers about that, we need to make sure the investigation is an independent one that people have confidence in, is transparent but for people who'd served their country, who had gone to respond to this incredible human suffering, I mean whatever your view of this conflict, there is clearly incredible human suffering going on in Gaza. For this to happen to them and of course in a way which frankly may reduce further the flow of aid because of the risks that we have seen here to people who need it is unconscionable. A war that wasn't theirs, all they were doing was trying to do good and feed people who couldn't feed themselves. Anyway let's move on to what you want to talk about today which is this non-DOM tax loophole. Yes well we saw in the budget the government taking a flagship Labour policy. We have always believed that if people are resident make their homes in the United Kingdom they should pay United Kingdom taxation on their earnings but we saw the government say they're gonna steal Labour's policy on this in the budget but we've learned since then there's a major loophole in those plans so what should happen under what they announced is anyone who's been resident in the UK for more than four years would pay taxation on their foreign earnings and income. There appears to be a loophole which is that if you put your foreign assets into a trust before April next year that will be exempt from inheritance tax so that's a big loophole worth about 400 million pounds a year to the exchequer and again when public services are under such pressure I think the government will find that hard to justify. Before I let you go I want to talk to you about a story that we've been majoring on all week and that is homelessness and the criminal justice bill and suggestion it's in writing I mean it's there in black and white that people if they smell excessively could be homeless people could be arrested. Well I would condemn that unequivocally. No one should be living homeless in this day and age and actually the visible deterioration in what we've seen in the last 14 years compared to where we were at the end of the last Labour government on rough sleeping I think is indefensible from the government. We've had in Greater Manchester through our Mayor Andy Burnham a real initiative on homelessness and rough sleeping which has really yielded tangible results so this can be tackled but it will not be tackled by criminalising people. People need assistance if they're in this position they need help and support that can be delivered and the fact we've seen progress in a place like Greater Manchester should be something that we take inspiration from and tackle across all of the United Kingdom. But what is Labour going to do about this wording? Obviously you've been aware of it it's come to the fore again this week I mean criminalising somebody just because they smell it is in the bill at the moment it will be looked at again when you all come back from the Easter recess. What are you going to do about that wording? When we have a bill like this before Parliament there's a chance for us to put amendments there's a chance for us to to change it and obviously the House of Lords plays a role as well so we'll have the chance to tackle this specifically but the message that we will be carrying is this is something that can be tackled if the political will is there it's not a mystery we know the kind of support and services that are required to do so and we'll take the examples of the progress we've seen under Labour control like in Greater Manchester as to what is really necessary and effective in tackling homelessness. But you're going to get rid of this wording aren't you? You're going to get rid of this ridiculous wording? No we will definitely have the chance to do that you will know Kay unfortunately we are outnumbered in parliamentary terms by the government but there are opportunities as with any piece of legislation to make a positive impact on it and we'll be doing everything we can to deliver that. Outnumbered for now not according to the latest polls? Well Kay you've asked me this before and you know what I'm gonna say I obviously don't read them I don't have any truck with them I wish we just had an election which is the real poll that we need and look I do remember when I was first elected in 2010 do you remember when David Cameron was set for some kind of massive majority he didn't even get any majority in that election but we will keep... I'm going to take you back to Neil Kinnock in 1992 That's the example with polls isn't it but we'll make the case for change we believe this country needs the kind of change that can only come from a general election we're confident in what we're putting forward but until an election is called and people cast the real votes we'll have no we'll have no truck with anything saying there will be no complacency from Labour whatsoever. I've got to let you go but are you asking me to believe that you don't look at the polls? Well look we see them but there's no complacency on the Labour side because look you can you can do just sighted examples where the election result has been nothing like those polls so until I know people are casting a vote in an actual general election and we've got the result no complacency from me. Okay good to talk to you as always we'll see you in the studio very soon thank you