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In a letter delivered to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott yesterday, they said
the long summer break should be cut short 'as soon as practically possible'.
The numbers, including nine Welsh MPs, underline the strength of feeling on Tony
Blair's backbenches and elsewhere over the Government's policy towards the battle between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Prime Minister's failure to join calls for an immediate ceasefire and the use
of UK airports for American arms flights to Israel have fuelled growing hostility.
A list of 101 Labour signatories, published with the letter, included ex-ministers
such as John Denham, Frank Dobson, Kate Hoey, Keith Vaz, Clare Short and Geoffrey Robinson.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell is also among the signatories, with
many of his 62 MPs and Scottish and Welsh nationalists thought to be swelling the numbers to around 175.
The Welsh MPs who signed the letter were Martin Caton (Gower), Paul Flynn (Newport
West), Hywel Francis (Aberavon), Nia Griffith (Llanelli), Dai Havard (Merthyr), Sian James (Swansea East), Madeleine Moon
(Bridgend), Julie Morgan (Cardiff North), and Betty Williams (Conwy).
The campaign also claimed the support of London Mayor Ken Livingstone, trade union
leaders and aid organisations including Oxfam.
The controversy in this country over the Government's policy came as Foreign Secretary
Margaret Beckett was engaged in ongoing negotiations at the United Nations in New York.
She cut short her camping holiday to fly to the US to join counterparts from other
key nations as the search for a Security Council resolution to end the month-long bloodshed continued.
Optimism had been running high that agreement could finally be clinched, the arrival
of foreign ministers is usually seen as a sign of an impending breakthrough.
US Ambassador John Bolton said an end to the deadlock was 'very very close' and predicted
a vote yesterday.
However, it was later reported that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was not happy
with the ceasefire proposals on the table and was preparing to authorise an expanded land offensive.
The most serious stumbling block to a deal appeared to be connected to the timing
of the withdrawal of Israeli troops that have occupied the territory with the arrival of 15,000 troops Lebanon has promised
to send there.
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