**Doctor Who’s Ncuti Gatwa and Dame Judi Dench Among Celebrities Urging UK to Halt Arms Exports to Israel**
Popular figures from the worlds of television, film, music, and sports have strengthened calls for the UK government to end its arms sales to Israel. Renowned actors Ncuti Gatwa, currently starring as the Doctor in the BBC’s long-running sci-fi drama, and Dame Judi Dench, one of Britain’s most celebrated actresses, have lent their voices to a growing campaign pressuring the government to act over concerns about the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The campaign centres around an open letter that was originally published last month by refugee charity Choose Love. The letter’s signatories now number at least 400, a group that includes not only Gatwa and Dench, but also a host of other well-known personalities such as Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, singer Dua Lipa, actor Benedict Cumberbatch, actors Florence Pugh and Stanley Tucci, former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw, and musicians like Paul Weller and Self Esteem.
Their demands, highlighted in the open letter, are threefold: an immediate suspension of UK arms exports to Israel; assertive efforts by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to guarantee immediate and ongoing access to humanitarian aid in Gaza; and a commitment to brokering a lasting and unconditional ceasefire with guarantees for the protection of Gaza’s children. The signatories argue that the UK shares responsibility for the humanitarian situation in the territory and can use its diplomatic and economic leverage to assist.
Josie Naughton, CEO of Choose Love, has emphasised the gravity of the situation. “Since we first urged the Government to end its complicity in the horrors of Gaza, more people have added their voice to our call,” she remarked. Naughton’s comments reflect the anguish felt by many monitors and observers over rising civilian casualties and deteriorating living conditions in Gaza. She added, “We cannot be silent while children are being killed and families are being starved.”
After the release of their initial letter in May, Choose Love staged a poignant vigil outside Parliament. Participants—among them many of the letter’s high-profile signatories—read out the names of 15,613 children killed during the conflict to date, in an emotional memorial intended to impress upon lawmakers the sheer human cost of ongoing hostilities.
While the UK government has suspended certain export licences for military equipment to Israel since last year, campaigners argue these measures are insufficient. Much of the current criticism focuses on demands for a comprehensive ban, covering not only complete armaments but also components used in high-profile weapon systems such as the F-35 fighter jet.
The government, however, has pushed back against some of these demands, citing Britain’s involvement in a global supply chain for F-35 parts that complicates efforts to halt all exports. A spokesperson further highlighted the government’s existing measures, stating, “We strongly oppose the expansion of military operations in Gaza and call on the Israeli Government to cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid.”
In a significant move last week, the government sanctioned two Israeli ministers, accusing them of incitement and of encouraging human rights abuses against Palestinian civilians. Nonetheless, activists continue to heap pressure on ministers, with Josie Naughton noting, “The situation is changing by the second, but until the UK Government has halted all arms sales and licences to Israel, ensured that humanitarian aid can reach people starving inside Gaza and stopped the killing, they will not have done enough.”
The government maintains that it remains vigilant, and that export licences for items potentially used in Gaza operations have already been suspended. Officials have restated the UK’s stance against denial of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s civilian population, warning that such actions could constitute breaches of international humanitarian law.
As the conflict continues to draw international scrutiny, the growing involvement of celebrated public figures in this campaign may place additional pressure on Downing Street to reconsider its arms trading relationship with Israel. Both supporters and opponents of these calls await further response from government ministers, as the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains at the forefront of both British and global political discourse.