As a taxpayer in the United Kingdom, I believe that no human deserves to die. It is deeply personal to me that my hard-earned money should not be used to fund wars or any military in any country. Instead, it should be redirected towards peaceful initiatives and humanitarian aid and provided to the millions in need. 

The UK government spent £37 billion on defence in 2019 (source: UK Office for National Statistics). This is a significant portion of our national budget being directed towards military activities, while other sectors such as healthcare, education, and social services are underfunded and neglected.

Since 2015, the UK has licensed at least £474 million worth of military exports to Israel, including components for combat aircrafts, missiles, tanks, technology, small arms, and ammunition.

The UK has committed £4.6 billion in military assistance to Ukraine so far (£2.3 billion in 2022 and commitment to match that funding in 2023. The UK has also agreed to host a training programme (operation Interflex), which is supported by several allies, with the aim of training 30,000 new and existing Ukrainian personnel. (source: House of Commons Library). 

Britain's conservative government has authorised the export of £472m worth of arms to Israel in the past eight years, including support for its combat aircraft that are now striking Gaza amid an humanitarian crisis. (source: declassifieduk).

Whist in our own country: 

Poverty has increased, close to pre-pandemic levels
More than 1 in 5 people in the UK (22%) were in poverty in 2021/22 – 14.4 million people. This included:

8.1 million (or around 2 in 10) working-age adults.

4.2 million (or nearly 3 in 10) children.

2.1 million (or around 1 in 6) pensioners. 

In 2021/22, 6 million people - or 4 in 10 people in poverty – were in ‘very deep’ poverty, with an income far below the standard poverty line. More than twice as many (over 12 million people) had experienced very deep poverty in at least one year between 2017–18 and 2020–21. 

40000+ Palestinians have been beaten, mistreated, violated, murdered, deprived of basic human rights with the use of the military provided to Israel by its supporting countries. 

I stand for peace and justice as so should we all.. The ongoing conflict in Palestine has resulted in countless innocent lives lost and widespread destruction. As a taxpayer, I do not want my money contributing to atrocious act or any other conflict where it involves the mistreatment of any human. 

It's time we demand transparency about how our tax money is spent. We must urge the UK government to prioritise peace over war and to use their own personal money if they want to fund a war.

Let's take a stand together against violence by signing this petition today!

The UK is supporting actively enabling genocide in Gaza and you can stop this!!! 

United we can achieve anything!!