WHY were Conservative benches in the House of Commons empty, with barely a dozen MPs present, during a debate on the crisis in the Middle East? Shameful. This debate was calling for the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development, Andrew Mitchell, to make a statement to the House regarding international diplomacy surrounding the Israel-Hamas war.

Both Conservative and Labour MPs who have yet to call for a ceasefire must hear the cries of the innocent, the cries of the bereaved and the demands for a humanitarian ceasefire by those of us who are watching on in horror.

READ MORE: Foreign Secretary 'unaccountable' to MPs as Israel-Hamas war escalates

SNP MP Anne McLaughlin told the House of Commons the current situation in Gaza is hell on earth, with people displaced, no access to medical aid, charities struggling to support civilians, people starving. Where is our UK Government?

More than 100 countries in the UN recently voted in favour of an immediate ceasefire, yet unbelievably the UK Government was not one of them! Instead the UK representative to the UN abstained on the call for an immediate ceasefire, an action certainly “not in my name”.

Catriona C Clark
Falkirk