Conservative leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch has criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer for allegedly politicizing the UK’s decision to suspend arms sales to Israel, claiming it lacked legal justification and was influenced by anti-Israel activists. Badenoch defended her own record of maintaining arms exports to Israel during her tenure as trade secretary and suggested that the Labour government is compromising UK interests in favor of political pressures. Meanwhile, the suspension of 30 out of 350 arms export licenses is seen as a symbolic gesture amid rising tensions, with Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu condemning it as misguided. In the UK, pro-Palestinian activists face increasing scrutiny and arrests under anti-terror laws, raising concerns about censorship and the silencing of dissenting voices. High-profile activists, such as Sarah Wilkinson, have been targeted, leading to public outcry and accusations of a crackdown on free speech. Additionally, Palestine Action has intensified its protests against lobbyists for Israel's arms industry, highlighting the connections between political lobbying and military contracts.