The Independent Alliance have handed out handbooks advising journalists what questions they should ask Keir Starmer about Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there.
The books, titled ‘Journalism During a Genocide: a guide to holding the Prime Minister to account’ have been delivered to mainstream press outlets, and have also been spotted in the Parliament press lobby and across the Parliamentary estate.
The guides were produced by the Independent Alliance, a group of five independent MPs including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
They address issues such as whether the UK government is indirectly supplying F-35 jet components to Israel and whether RAF bases in Cyprus are being used as a route for weapons to be deployed in Gaza.
The Independent Alliance has also called on journalists to challenge the prime minister on previous statements he and foreign secretary David Lammy have made in regards to whether a genocide is taking place in Gaza, and calls from Corbyn for an independent inquiry into the UK’s involvement in Israel’s military assault in Gaza.
They provide a number of questions relating to Gaza and Israel which “journalists may wish to ask the Prime Minister in light of an ongoing genocide.”
The questions include:
• Why has the Prime Minister ignored Corbyn’s demand for an independent inquiry?
• When will the PM and the Foreign Secretary be returning to the House to retract statements denying the genocide in Gaza?
• Will the government release video footage from RAF spy planes that have flown over Gaza?
• When will the government publish a full list of military shipments from the UK to Israel since October 2023?
The handbook starts by saying: “Since the government was elected in July 2024, the Prime Minister has held numerous press conferences to mark a range of policy announcements, from increases in military spending to the development of a theme park. These press conferences are an opportunity for the British media to hold the Prime Minister to account over the government’s role in Israel’s military assault on Gaza.”
“To that end, we trust this handbook will assist you in establishing truth and accountability.”
The handbook concludes: “Exposing the truth comes at a cost. In Gaza, journalists have paid with their lives. Here in Britain, journalists may damage personal relationships or hamper their professional ambitions. In an ongoing genocide, these risks are surely worth taking.”
Related: Gary Lineker questions BBC’s coverage of Gaza conflict