Three former Supreme Court judges and over 240 solicitors are among the 613 lawyer and legal academic signatories of a letter to the prime minister calling for UK weapons exports to Israel to cease. They claim that the UK's current policy risks breaking international law.

The 17-page letter cites ‘significant developments’, including the 26 January provisional order of the International Court of Justice, which signatories say supports their view that there is ‘a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza’.

UK obligations under international law, the letter states, requires the government to take five actions. First, ‘to work actively and effectively to secure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza’.

Second, ‘to take all available measures to ensure safe access to and delivery of the essentials of existence and medical assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, including confirmation that UK funding to [the UN Relief and Works Agency] will continue’.

The signatories’ third demand is to impose sanctions upon ‘individuals and entities who have made statements inciting genocide against Palestinians’.

The fourth demand is to suspend the provision of weapons and weapons systems to the government of Israel.

The final action is to suspend the 2030 Road Map for UK-Israel bilateral relations and negotiations towards an enhanced trade agreement, ‘and to initiate a review into the suspension of the UK’s bilateral trade agreement with Israel and consider the imposition of sanctions’.

The UK is a party to the 1970 genocide convention, which is cited 31 times in the letter. Former Supreme Court judges who signed the letter were Lady Hale and lords Sumption and Wilson. The 82 law firm partners and legal directors include Sir Geoffrey Bindman, Imran Khan and Leigh Day partner Jacqueline McKenzie. Partners from Bates Wells, Thompsons, Duncan Lewis and Hickman and Rose are also among the signatories.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that the UK’s arms licensing regime was ‘very careful’.