Over 100 UK parliamentarians call on government to defend ICC

A cross-party group of British MPs and Lords have called on the UK government to "do all it can" to support the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC), following the chief prosector's request for arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders.

An open letter signed by 105 MPs from 11 parties, organised by Labour MPs Richard Burgon and Imran Hussain, called for the UK government "take a clear stance against any attempts to intimidate an independent and impartial international court", adding that "the court, its prosecutor and all its staff must be free to pursue justice without fear or favour".

The parliamentarians also urged Foreign Secretary David Cameron "to condemn any threats and attempts to undermine the independence and impartiality of the International Criminal Court in its investigations into crimes in Gaza".

A number of US senators have warned that the ICC would be sanctioned if it issued arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.

In response to the announcement of the chief prosecutor's decision on Monday, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the move was a "deeply unhelpful development".