Three Labour MPs, including the Solicitor General, have attacked David Lammy over his embargo on some arms sales to Israel.
In a letter to the Foreign Secretary, the trio warned that Jewish voters were “upset and angry” over the move, which has been heavily criticised.
Their intervention comes amid deep splits within the party over how Sir Keir Starmer should respond to the increasingly drawn-out war in Gaza.
The MPs, all representing north London seats, include Sarah Sackman, who as Solicitor General is one of the Government’s top legal advisers.
Her involvement in the letter will prove embarrassing for the Prime Minister, who now faces a choice over whether to sack her for breaking ranks.
Ms Sackman insisted that she fully supported the Government’s position and that the letter was only setting out the concerns of her constituents.
On Monday, Mr Lammy announced that he was suspending about 30 arms export licences, citing alleged Israeli breaches of humanitarian law.
In doing so he leant on advice from government lawyers. It is unclear whether Ms Sackman was personally involved.
His decision prompted a furious response from Israel and caused fears among the backbench that the party is once again alienating Jewish voters.
Writing to him, the three MPs said constituents had “been in touch and expressed deep concern and upset” about the arms embargo decision.
They also warned that voters felt the decision would embolden Hamas and Iran, while damaging Britain’s relationship with Israel as a key ally.
“Many constituents are upset and angry about the timing of the announcement which, as you know, came shortly after the murder of six hostages by Hamas terrorists,” they wrote.
“There was particular anger that the announcement itself coincided with the funeral of one of the hostages, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.”
Mr Goldberg-Polin was buried on Monday after his body and those of five other murdered hostages were recovered by the Israeli Defense Forces.
The hostages were reportedly killed 48 to 72 hours before they were found, after their captors were tipped off that Israeli soldiers were approaching.
In the letter, the three MPs said that voters had also “raised questions about the message that the decision sends to Israel’s enemies, including Hamas, Iran and Iran’s proxies”.
They wrote: “While the decision may have been intended to de-escalate the conflict, there is great concern that it may inadvertently have the opposite effect and adversely affect the security and safety of Israel and its people.”
‘Letter speaks for itself’
They warned that constituents had asked them whether the decision meant that Britain was weakening its long-standing alliance with Israel.
“They have also raised concerns about the possible impact of this decision on Britain’s perceived trustworthiness among its allies on the international stage,” the MPs said.
Ms Sackman said: “The letter speaks for itself. I fully support the Government’s position and upholding international humanitarian law. This letter represents the views of some of my constituents who have been in touch throughout the past week.”
The letter was also signed by David Pinto-Duschinsky, the MP for Hendon, and Dan Tomlinson, the MP for Chipping Barnet.
All three MPs are new to Parliament as part of Labour’s 2024 intake, a group that would ordinarily be expected to toe the party line.
Sir Keir has also faced pressure from the opposite wing of the party, with some left-wing MPs warning his stance on Gaza has not gone far enough.
They have called for a full arms embargo on Israel, accusing the country of war crimes.
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