Gaza was the major issue in Westminster last week. I supported the call for a ceasefire, as I have from the very start. The carnage is worsening and the need for an end to the slaughter never more vital. Both families of those attacked by Hamas and of Palestinians suffering in Gaza were there, and their testimony heartbreaking. The strain was also etched on the face of the Palestinian Ambassador, who has himself lost family. The pain is on both sides.

But razing Gaza to the ground won’t secure the return of the hostages, and babies in incubators aren’t combatants. What’s happening now is a war crime. There must be dialogue, and the prelude to that is a ceasefire. A humanitarian pause is inadequate. What are over two million Palestinians meant to do? What can they do when their homes and communities have been flattened?

I’m saddened that the motion for a ceasefire failed. But I pay tribute to colleagues who went against their party whip to stand by their conscience. As with the invasion of Iraq some two decades ago, the Labour leadership has been found wanting.

I’ll continue to work with colleagues in all parties to mitigate the horror and seek peace. I’ll also maintain my links with the Palestinian Embassy and with organisations such as Medical Aid for Palestine, who do such good work in dreadful and dangerous circumstances.

A brighter note amidst the gloom was the Supreme Court’s rejection of the Rwanda policy. It is heartless and, as the court said, flouts international laws and conventions. There needs to be an immigration policy, and many may well have to be returned. But every state has an obligation to treat refugees and asylum seekers with dignity and to carry out due process.

The solution is not to parrot a mantra of “stop the boats” but to provide assistance to lands these people are fleeing, whether that’s securing peace or supporting their economies and societies. That’s also humanity.