NINE Labour MPs have joined parliamentarians from other parties in backing Jeremy Corbyn’s call for an independent inquiry into government complicity in Israel’s Gaza genocide.

Thirty-seven MPs in all have signed the latest letter from the former Labour leader to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, demanding a probe into possible government breaches of international law relating to the conflict.

The nine Labour MPs now backing the call, first made by Mr Corbyn last month, are Diane Abbott, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussein, Kim Johnson, Brian Leishman, Jon Trickett, Steve Witherden and Nadia Whittome.

Suspended Labour MP Zarah Sultana also signed, as did MPs from Plaid Cymru, the SNP, the Green Party, the Independent Alliance, Sinn Fein and other Northern Irish parties, as well as several members of the House of Lords.

In the letter, they say that the death toll in Gaza has exceeded 61,000 and that “Britain has played a highly influential role in Israel’s military operations, including the sale of weapons, the supply of intelligence and the use of Royal Air Force (RAF) bases in Cyprus.”

They say an inquiry, styled after the Chilcot probe into the Iraq war, should establish what decisions were taken and what the consequences were, and that ministers from both the last Tory government as well as Sir Keir’s administration should be obliged to co-operate.

The letter states: “Many people believe the government has taken decisions that have implicated officials in the gravest breaches of international law.

“These charges will not go away until there is a comprehensive, public, independent inquiry with the legal power to establish the truth.”

Mr Corbyn said on social media: “Last month, I wrote to the Prime Minister calling for an independent inquiry into the UK’s involvement in Israel’s assault on Gaza.

“Today, more than 30 MPs have supported that call. This is not going away. We will campaign for as long as it takes to establish the truth.”

Ministers have been increasingly uncomfortable in the Commons, wriggling as they try to explain the government’s continued practical and political support for Israel despite the mounting evidence of atrocities, before sceptical MPs from all parties urged a stronger stance.

A Stop the War Coalition spokesperson backed Mr Corbyn’s call, saying: “These MPs are right. Ministers must be held to account for their criminal complicity, continuing to this day, in what the world clearly sees as a genocide.”