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The Foreign Office has confirmed sanctions against Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

They are being sanctioned by the UK government in conjunction with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway for what's described as "repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities".

They have had any assets in those respective countries frozen, and are banned from travelling to any of them.

'Encouraging human rights abuses'

Such violence undermines the prospect of a future Palestinian state, a statement says.

The government says it has "made clear in public and private" to Netanyahu's administration its concerns about Ben-Gvir and Smotrich's "inflammatory and extremist statements", which have amounted to "encouraging and inciting human rights abuses".

Foreign Secretary David Lammy added: "We will strive to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of the remaining hostages by Hamas which can have no future role in the governance of Gaza, a surge in aid and a path to a two-state solution."

By Dominic Waghorn, international affairs editor

This is a major step from Britain and a number of other countries against Israel and one that puts them at odds with Washington.

It adds to the growing ostracisation of Israel over its war in Gaza and conduct on the occupied West Bank.

Bezalel Smotrich is Israel's far right finance minister, a Jewish settler and someone who has denied the existence of Palestinians as a people.

He has most recently said "not a grain of wheat" should be allowed to enter Gaza, saying it will be "entirely destroyed" and its people should be encouraged to leave in great numbers to go to other countries.

Itamar Ben Gvir is the country's far right national security minister was once convicted of being a member of a Jewish terrorist organisation and advocated the expulsion of Palestinians from their lands.

Their critics will say their sanctioning has been a long time coming, is largely symbolic and will achieve little.

The British government singles out Israel's conduct in the West Bank as grounds for its action against the two men.

Extremist Jewish settlers have run rampant across the occupied territories under Benjamin Netanyahu's government, with 1,900 recorded acts of violence against Palestinians since January last year.

The Netanyahu government has approved a record number of new Jewish settlements in the West Bank.  Under international law all settlements on occupied land are illegal.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and other senior figures over alleged war crimes. A number of countries and observers have deemed its conduct in Gaza as genocidal.

Israel described today's sanctions as unacceptable and outrageous, but critics will wonder why the Israeli prime minster is not sanctioned himself for keeping two such deeply controversial figures in his government.  

There is, though, a good reason for keeping them. Without them, his fragile coalition would almost certainly fall from power. 

The price for that, though, is only increasing.

Sir Ed Davey has welcomed news of the UK sanctioning Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich.

The Lib Dem leader described their views on Gaza as "utterly abhorrent" and said his party had been calling for them to be sanctioned since February last year.

He said the UK must now "officially recognise" the state of Palestine, giving both Palestinians and Israelis "hope of a lasting peace".

He wants this to happen at a peace conference in New York next week.

The government sanctioning Israel's finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over their comments and conduct during the war in Gaza has been a long time coming.

Last October, former foreign secretary David Cameron told Sky News he'd planned to sanction them while in government but "ran out of time" when the surprise election was called.

'Abhorrent'

Cameron, who returned to frontline politics under Rishi Sunak, said Smotrich and Ben-Gvir had made "abhorrent" comments.

Smotrich has suggested it might be "just and moral" to withhold food aid from Gaza. Ben-Gvir has backed the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank.

Lord Cameron said: "I was looking at the things we could do to say to the Israelis we back your right to self-defence鈥� but at the same time, we do want you to try and obey鈥� humanitarian law.

"And these two ministers are people who have tried, they've encouraged you, to stop aid getting into Gaza and encouraged the extreme settlers in the West Bank to carry out illegal acts.

"So it seemed to me it was worth looking at whether we could sanction these two individual ministers."

The Speaker has just said there will be a statement in parliament later about the situation in the Middle East.

It comes after the Israeli foreign minister said two government ministers had been sanctioned by the UK.

PA news agency reports they are Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

It comes after Keir Starmer told our political editor Beth Rigby earlier the government was considering sanctions over the war in Gaza.

The prime minister said: "My strong belief is when we make a move, if we're able to do that in the company of other countries, that's a stronger move than doing it on our own.

"So that's the basic approach that we're taking. But we are working on what more we could do in the pretty short term now."

The UK's decision to sanction two Israeli government ministers is "significant", says our international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn.

Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, he says, have a history "littered with controversial comments and allegedly racist anti-Arab rhetoric".

It's a break from how the US has been dealing with Israel over the war in Gaza, Dominic says, and "highlights the growing ostracisation of Israel" amid allegations of genocide and war crimes - something it should be stressed the UK government has not levied at its traditional ally.

Who are the two ministers?

Ben-Gvir is the security minister. 

Dominic describes him as a "notorious far right extremist, regarded as a Jewish terrorist by some and an anti-Arab racist".

Smotrich is the finance minister, also on the far right.

Dominic notes his remarks about Gaza have been particularly controversial. He's talked about Gaza "not being allowed a grain of wheat", and "being entirely destroyed", with people forced to move out.

Two Israeli ministers have been sanctioned by the UK government, the country's foreign affairs minister has said.

Gideon Sa'ar just gave a statement in which he condemned the "outrageous" decision - but didn't name them.

PA news agency reports they are Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

Sa'ar said he had discussed the move with Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli's prime minister, earlier today.

"We will hold a special government meeting early next week to decide on our response to this unacceptable decision," he added.

What would happen if Russia attacked the UK? 

Released today, The Wargame podcast pits a fictional British government against an imagined Kremlin. 

To coincide with the launch we're holding a Q&A with the Wargame team, which you can check out below:

The UK is one step closer to a new nuclear power plant after the government announced a further 拢14.2bn in funding.

Sizewell C, near the town of Leiston on the Suffolk coast, is due to be up and running by the mid-2030s.

What is Sizewell C?

The new site will house two nuclear reactors - generating up to 3.2 gigawatts of electricity, which is enough to power six million homes.

The government says it could meet 7% of the country's total energy needs for up to 60 years.

It was initially proposed by the French energy company EDF and China's General Nuclear Power Group, but the previous government bought the Chinese company out of its 20% stake in 2022.

Together, the UK government and EDF now own 83.5% of the site.

Where is it, and what's it costing?

It is located near Sizewell beach. It's next to Sizewell A, a decommissioned nuclear site that opened in 1967, and Sizewell B, still running and the last nuclear site to open in the UK in 1995.

Previous funding announcements mean the state has now invested 拢17.8bn, with a final funding model due to be released this summer after private investors are secured to bridge the gap to the total 拢20bn cost.

Taxpayer money is expected to contribute 拢700m.

How long has it been in the making?

The project dates back to 2008, when then Labour prime minister Gordon Brown declared the UK needed to boost its nuclear capacity from four sites at Heysham, Hartlepool, Torness, and Sizewell B.

In 2010, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition earmarked Sizewell as a potential new site.

EDF began consulting with locals in the area in 2012, finally submitted its development consent order in May 2020, and had it granted in 2022 despite environmental concerns.

Construction by EDF is due to start in the next year - and is set to take between nine and 12 years.

Why are people against it?

Two campaign groups - Together Against Sizewell C and Stop Sizewell C - have spearheaded efforts to block the site.

They cite potential damage to wildlife habitats, nature reserves, and local water supplies, and budgetary concerns.

More generally, nuclear power is very controversial.

While it does not produce carbon emissions like traditional fossil fuels, any nuclear activity is exceedingly high-risk.

High-profile nuclear accidents, although incredibly rare, have leaked deadly radiation into the atmosphere, killing people and likely poisoning others for generations to come.

What are the arguments for it?

The government wants to use nuclear energy to help meet its target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The Ukraine war compromised global gas and oil supplies, much of which came from Russia, sending prices rocketing.

Some countries, like France, where EDF is based, already rely heavily on nuclear power.

Sizewell C will also create 10,000 new jobs and 1,500 apprenticeships, boosting the local and UK economy.

Around 拢330m has been tendered to local companies in contracts, with 70% of all those commissioned going to 3,500 British suppliers.

Sir Keir Starmer was also asked by our political editor Beth Rigby about Israel and the situation in Gaza.

The prime minister has spent weeks describing the situation as "intolerable" but was asked what the government is actually doing to change the situation there. 

He repeated his desire to see the remaining hostages freed, an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid into Gaza "in volume and at speed".

PM wants backing of allies

Addressing the question directly, Starmer said the government has been "talking to other partners about what more we could do, including the question of sanctions".

He added: "My strong belief is when we make a move, if we're able to do that in the company of other countries, that's a stronger move than doing it on our own.

"So that's the basic approach that we're taking. But we are working on what more we could do in the pretty short term now."