Banning UK arms sales to Israel would strengthen Hamas, Lord Cameron says

To echo today's programme, let's end our live coverage on a lighter note - with Joanna Lumley and Eurovision.

Just before this week's programme wrapped up, we got to see a clip the British actress sent from her experience as the UK Jury Spokesperson for last night's song contest in Sweden.

"I can't tell you how complicated it was," Lumley says. "The preparations were extreme."

Lumley says there was a three-hour rehearsal to link up with all 25 countries taking part.

"You must not drink a drop because you are going to be speaking and representing your country," Lumley adds.

"It has been fascinating to see the love and work of all the performers."

We've still got one more post to bring you before we end our live coverage of this week's show, so stay tuned.

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Let's give you the latest on the situation in southern Gaza from Louise Wateridge, who is in Rafah and has described the city this morning as "incredibly eerie".

Wateridge, who is a representative for UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNWRA), says according to the latest UN figures, 300,000 people have fled the city.

"Looking out today and having been around Rafah this morning, I think this number is much higher - it's emptied in the last 48 hours,” Wateridge tells BBC Radio 5 Live's Sunday Breakfast show.

“In our shelters in Khan Yunis - an area that was completely destroyed - we are seeing families moving back there. They are moving into rubble, essentially."

Wateridge says classrooms are "completely torched out" but explains families and children have started to move back into these facilities.

"I think that just speaks for the utter desperation of people not having anywhere to go,” she says.

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Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana, who was on today's panel, was asked about Natalie Elphicke's defection to the Labour Party this week.

"I think it is great people are moving towards the Labour movement and the Labour Party," she answered.

"Natalie Elphicke, however, is an interesting one because she is a former paid-up member of the ERG (European Research Group), she voted for Liz Truss in the leadership, she's at odds when it comes to fire-and-rehire, has attacked trade unions and their activities not great on the environment either," she said.

"And it's concerning as well in terms of conversations I've had within the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party), especially in the Women's PLP on the comments that she's made about her ex-husband and the trial."

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While we're looking back on today's programme, let's bring you another question put to Foreign Secretary David Cameron earlier, who was asked about claims by Hamas that a British-Israeli hostage has died in Gaza.

Hamas, proscribed as a terrorist group by the UK government, claims Nadav Popplewell died of wounds sustained in an Israeli airstrike more than a month ago.

Popplewell, 51, was seized with his mother Channah Peri on 7 October when fighters crossed the border fence and launched deadly attacks in Israel. The Israeli military is yet to comment.

In a brief statement via the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Popplewell's family asked media organisations not to publish footage of him released by Hamas on Saturday, which shows him in captivity with a black eye.

Cameron said that he couldn't give any new updates this morning, adding: "We are trying to work out what has happened, we don't want to say anything before we get better information."

He said that he met with Popplewell's family on previous occasions. "When you see what Hamas are prepared to do you just realise the terrible, dreadful, inhuman people we are dealing with," Cameron added.

There's plenty to unpack from today's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, during which the Israel-Gaza war and Tory defection dominated the agenda.

Let's have a look at the key moments from this morning's show:

• UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said restricting arms deliveries to Israel because of its war in Gaza would strengthen Hamas and make a deal to free Israeli hostages less likely
• He reiterated that the Israeli army should not carry out a major offensive in Rafah
• Putting British boots on the ground in Gaza would be "a risk we should not take," he added

• Labour MP Jonathan Ashworth said the party does not want to see British-made weapons used in a Rafah offensive should it go ahead
• Ashworth also points to Tory defector Natalie Elphicke dismissing as "nonsense" claims she lobbied the Lord Chancellor over husband's sexual assault case
• On the panel, former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi was questioned about his tax affairs. "My mistakes are my own," he said, adding that he paid HMRC "just shy of £5m" after admitting a "careless mistake"
• And actor Dominic West told Laura he has ambitions to play a villain in a James Bond movie. He's up for a Bafta TV award later, which you can follow live on BBC News this afternoon

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We're now hearing from the panel before this week's programme wraps up.

Writer and former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown, who often shares her expertise on the Royal Family, is speaking about Prince Harry.

"After all the trashing of Harry, when I saw him and Meghan in Nigeria this week, I had a nostalgia. This is what could have been, these two, who are enormously appealing to the public, looking very attractive," she says.

She thinks that the couple's distance from the Royal Family might be permanent.

"But I think we needed Harry and Meghan and unfortunately what's come to pass with the cancer diagnosis shows how depleted the family is and I hope it does mend," she concludes.

We'll be bringing you some more lines from the show and reflect on what we heard this morning, so stay with us.

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The Crown leads in this year’s Bafta TV nominations - up for eight awards later this evening.

Dominic West is asked by Laura whether he had any nerves or hesitation in taking up the role as Prince Charles in the show.

“I had an amazing experience,” West replies.

“I was very cagey about taking it on, but the writing was so good and the period of time I was playing Charles was so tumultuous and interesting it was sort of impossible to turn it down.

“In the end I think we did some good work and hopefully we will win.”

Finally, West is asked about his dream acting roles. He says high on his bucket list is to play a role in the big Shakespeare plays singling out King Lear.

“A Bond villain would be good,” he adds.

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Next up on the show is Dominic West - star of so many huge TV shows and films, but perhaps most recently known for his role as Prince Charles in Netflix’s series The Crown.

He is hoping to win at the Baftas later tonight and is also set to appear on stage in the West End as the lead in Arthur Miller's play, A View from the Bridge.

“There is so much in it which speaks to us now,” he tells Laura during a gap in rehearsals. “From refugees and claustrophobic parenting.”

“I am nervous about taking the part like this because so many people have been great in it before,” West says as he recalls Sir Michael Gambon’s performance in the play.

“I thought I’d pit myself against the great Gambon."

Labour MP Jonathan Ashworth is next asked about workers' rights.

Laura puts it to him that some of the unions are concerned that Labour is watering down its plans on workers' rights, while some want to see a complete ban on "fire and rehire".

This is when workers are dismissed and hired them back straight away - often on worse deals.

"We are not watering down our commitment to give more rights to workers in the workplace," Ashworth says.

"Our labour market is increasingly characterised by low pay, by fire and rehire, these are outrageous practices, and this is not good for the UK economy," he adds.

Laura presses him on whether Labour wants a complete ban on fire and rehire.

"Yes, we are getting rid of this practice, we are not watering it down," Ashworth replies.

More now on Natalie Elphicke's defection and the story this morning which details allegations the Dover MP lobbied ministers over her then-husband Charlie's sexual assault case.

In case you missed it, Elphicke is accused of asking Sir Robert Buckland, the then justice secretary, to help move the date of the case.

Laura asks Ashworth if the lobbying claims should be investigated.

Ashworth highlights that Elphicke says the allegations are "nonsense", adding: "I do not understand why the Lord chancellor is raising this now," he says.

He says Elphicke shifted to Labour because she believes the Tory government is "disintegrating".

Jonathan Ashworth, who has served as shadow paymaster general since September 2023 and is a Labour MP for Leicester South, is now in the hot seat.

Will he say that the UK should stop selling arms to Israel? Laura begins.

He does not answer directly, saying: "The situation in Gaza continues to be horrific... that's why I've been calling for an immediate ceasefire. I want to see the humanitarian aid getting in there and of course I want to see the release of hostages immediately."

He adds that a full-scale offensive on Rafah, the southern Gazan city where about 1.4 million people are sheltering, would be a catastrophe.

"If that full-scale offensive will go ahead, I do not want to see British-made weapons used in that offensive," he says.

"My heart said keeping going, but the head said let a younger person fight an election," Nadhim Zahawi says on why he'll be stepping down as an MP.

Laura puts it to Zahawi that an inquiry last year found he had failed to disclose that HMRC was investigating his tax affairs.

"My mistakes are my own," he tells Laura, saying he paid HMRC "just shy of £5m" after admitting a "careless mistake".

"Although it was found to be non-deliberate, there was a penalty attached," Zahawi adds.

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We're now hearing from panellist and former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi who this week announced he would be standing down as an MP at the next election.

In a resignation letter shared on X, he said “the time is right for a new, energetic Conservative to fight for the honour of representing Stratford-on-Avon”.

It makes him the 64th Conservative MP to announce he'll stand down at the next election, and the 104th MP.

Zahawi was sacked last year as Tory Party chairman by Rishi Sunak after an ethics inquiry found he had failed to disclose that HMRC was investigating his tax affairs. The HMRC investigation had resulted in him paying a settlement including a penalty.

In a statement at the time, Zahawi said HMRC concluded the mistake was “careless and not deliberate”.

We'll bring you what Zahawi has to say on this shortly.

Turning now to Natalie Elphicke - the MP who defected from the Conservatives to Labour on Wednesday - Laura asks David Cameron about allegations of lobbying over her then-husband's sexual assault case.

Why did your Conservative colleagues not say anything about this at the time, Laura asks.

Lord Cameron says he has only just seen the story so doesn't want to comment directly. Instead he says Elphicke's defection says "more about the Labour Party".

"She is frankly now a Labour press office problem," he adds.

"Their phone is probably ringing off the hook."

That wraps up the foreign secretary's interview on this morning's programme.

David Cameron is next asked about Ukraine, after recent attacks on Kharkiv and Russian advances in the city.

Heavy fighting has continued in the border area following Russia's surprise incursions on Friday.

"Does this look to you like the start of a very serious, major summer offensive?" Laura asks.

Cameron replies saying that it is "another invasion by Putin into Ukraine crossing over into their border".

"Is it another invasion, this is what you are saying?" Laura asks. "Certainly," Cameron answers briefly.

"There is no doubt what it is, which is another part of the invasion. It sums up the importance of making sure that the support from allies gets through to Ukraine," he says, emphasising the the importance of the support for Ukraine.

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Laura presses the foreign secretary about the UK's role in getting aid into Gaza - one idea she mentions was British troops helping get supplies from a pier built by the US onto the beaches in Gaza.

Why is that not happening?

"We are playing a very full part in this in moving aid from Cyprus to either Ashdod Port or onto the pier into the beach in Gaza," he says.

"It will be a British Royal Navy ship - RFA Cardigan Bay - which will be the sort of logistic hub off the pier.

"But the view the prime minister took was that putting British boots onto the beach is not a good move.

"British boots on the ground is a risk we should not take."

Cameron goes on to say the US "is in a totally different position" to the UK on arms sales.

"I want to make sure British policy has impact," he adds as he says he is frustrated that not enough aid is getting through to the Gaza Strip.

"We haven't given Israel a clean bill of health - Israel's performance on aid has not been good enough."

"Are they on notice? Laura asks.

"In a way they are permanently on notice," Cameron replies.

David Cameron continues to be questioned about Israel's planned offensive in Rafah and if it is a point of principle for the UK to send a strong political message and stop arms sales to Israel.

"The last time I was urged to do that, I didn't do that and just a few days later there was a brutal attack by Iran on Israel...I think it would have sent an entirely wrong message," he says.

Cameron says that the better option is that Hamas must take the hostage deal.

"Just to simply announce today that we will change our approach on arms exports, it would make Hamas stronger and it would make a hostage deal less likely," he adds.