Reynolds: Trade meetings with Israel important but Government clear on ceasefire

Trade negotiations with Israel are “important” for the economy, a senior UK minister has said amid a backlash over a recent Scottish Government meeting.

Trade and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said ministers are not raising the case for a ceasefire in Gaza individually – but the UK Government is relaying that message to Israeli officials “in all avenues”.

Mr Reynolds was responding to criticism faced by Scottish External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson , who was forced to apologise after he met Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UK, Daniela Grudsky, on August 8 to discuss issues such as energy and culture.

The Scottish Government has since suspended any future meetings with Israeli officials, with Mr Robertson saying while he communicated the need for a ceasefire the discussion of other issues was “not appropriate”.

The UK Government announced last month it had reopened trade negotiations with Israel.

Speaking to the PA news agency during a visit to a distillery in Scotland, Mr Reynolds said it is for the Scottish Government to decide whether meetings with Israeli officials are appropriate.

However he said: “I think it is still important to recognise as a UK Government that we want an immediate ceasefire.

“But of course, you’ve still got to be engaged with all partners within that very difficult conflict we still have.

“I, for instance, have spoken to my counterpart the Israeli trade minister because we’ve inherited a process in terms of improving the trade relationship that we have with Israel.

“I think it’s still important to recognise that. It’s a difficult part of the world but we’ve got to be engaged and of course there are issues there around the threat that Iran poses that we have to recognise, and we’ve got to be part of that discussion.”

Asked if he expressed the need for a ceasefire at these meetings, he said: “We do that as a Government in all avenues.

“Of course, when I am doing the trade issues the meetings tend to be focused specifically on that, but we have across the whole of the Government made clear that we want to see an immediate end to that conflict and an end to the human suffering.”