FIRST Minister Humza Yousaf has said he is willing to look into recent grants the Scottish Government has awarded to arms firms which sell weapons to Israel.

In 2021 it was revealed firms who sell arms to Israel received nearly £10 million in grants in four years from Scottish Enterprise, with weapons provided by these companies including machine gun systems and bombs.

Asked at an event in Glasgow if the Scottish Government would look at putting a stop to these grants, Yousaf said he was happy to look at recent awards. 

He added the responsibility lies with the UK Government to stop selling arms to Israel.

He told The National: “The grants given in the past, from my understanding, have gone to companies who diversify into other sectors such as, for example, producing components for the space sector.

READ MORE: SNP call for probe after Labour MP admits wrecking Gaza debate

“I’m happy to look at the most recent grants but my point really is that the UK Government has the ability and power to stop sending arms, stop those export licences for arms to Israel, so it needs to take action.

“A number of countries have already taken action across the world that’s very similar so the UK Government can and should do the same, it should stop arming Israel. “

The FM called on the UK Government to end arms sales to Israel during an interview for Middle East Eye, an independent Middle Eastern news outlet.

He said there was “no justification” for continuing to send weapons to the country amid the “atrocious” scenes in Gaza.

Yousaf said he would be writing to the UK Government about the issue, adding: “We’ll consider what more we can do to try and exert pressure on the UK Government.”

He that the threat of a ground invasion in Rafah had contributed to his decision to call for the end of arms sales by the UK. 

Elsewhere, the SNP have now called for a “full, independent investigation” into new revelations they say prove the Labour Party deliberately sought to wreck their motion on a ceasefire in Gaza last week.

READ MORE: BBC: SNP MP clashes with presenter over ceasefire debate

The SNP’s motion was never voted on on their own Opposition Day last week after Speaker Lindsay Hoyle chose to hear a Labour amendment as well as a Government one in a break with convention.

During a Channel 4 News interview with Chris Bryant on Sunday night, the Labour MP admitted he was ordered to filibuster to block progress on the SNP's motion for an immediate ceasefire - and accepted “we brought ourselves terribly into disrepute”. 

Asked by presenter Cathy Newman whether he was "put up" to filibuster the debate, or took it upon himself to do so, Bryant admitted "a bit of both if I'm honest".

The SNP have insisted this revelation shows that UK Labour leader Keir Starmer used "dirty tricks" to stop the party's motion being debated, and called for an investigation to be held.