Dame Emily Thornberry has called the US ambassador to Israel an “idiot” after he criticised Sir Keir Starmer.

Dame Emily, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee, said Mike Huckabee’s response to the Prime Minister’s statement on Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for full military occupation of Gaza showed he was “clearly an idiot”.

Sir Keir said the Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza was wrong, and urged it to reconsider.

He added that the plan outlined by Mr Netanyahu and his ministers “will only bring more bloodshed” and called for a ceasefire and “a surge in humanitarian aid”.

The Prime Minister concluded: “A diplomatic solution is possible, but both parties must step away from the path of destruction”.