British Labour leader Keir Starmer has said that there should be a lasting ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, setting out his stance before parliament is expected to debate a conflict that has caused division in the opposition party.

According to Reuters, this week, the Scottish National Party is expected to bring a motion to parliament to call for an immediate ceasefire — something Starmer’s foreign policy chief David Lammy said the party would examine and then come to a decision on.

Addressing the Scottish Labour conference, Starmer said: “What we all want to see […] (is) an end to the fighting not just now, not just for a pause, but permanently. A ceasefire that lasts […] that is what must happen now.”

He added that any ceasefire could not be one-sided.