INVERCLYDE'S MP says his vote for a ceasefire in Gaza was based on his own beliefs and the pleas of constituents.

Ronnie Cowan was one of 125 MPs who backed an SNP motion calling for a halt in an amendment to the King's Speech. It was voted down by the Tory government and the Labour opposition.

Mr Cowan says contact from constituents has been "overwhelmingly in favour" of insisting that the UK Government uses its influence to call for a ceasefire in the war.

One constituent's email said: 'I write as a parent to express my heartbreak and devastation at the killing of children in Gaza, and I am appalled by the UK Government's inaction.'

Another wrote: 'To abstain or vote against the motion would be gross betrayal of the values you and your party routinely profess.'

One plea said: 'As one of your local constituents, I implore you to please vote in favour of immediate ceasefire. A ceasefire in Gaza is urgent and essential.'

The MP has previously condemned the "cowardly and barbaric" Hamas terror attacks on innocent civilians, and said that Israel has an obvious right to defend itself.

But he says subjecting a civilian population to weeks of air strikes and artillery bombardment - killing one child every ten minutes, according to the World Health Organisation - is "senseless and unacceptable".

He said: "My constituents made their feelings very clear to me.

"I hold the same views.

"Bombarding a trapped civilian population for weeks on end is senseless and unacceptable.

"Tory and Labour MPs who voted against this have been shamed and will be seen to be on the wrong side of history.

"They had the chance to put humanity before politics but chose not to do so.

"The actions of the Tory and Labour parties will not be forgotten by people in Inverclyde and across Scotland.

"It is shocking that the two Scottish Labour MPs did not support this humanitarian mission to save the lives of women and children and bring an end to this unacceptable bloodshed. It is unforgiveable.

"Every day we see images of injured women and children, families displaced with no where to go, lines of dead bodies and the cratered landscape of Gaza.

"We see civilians with no power, no food and not even any decent drinking water.

"This cannot continue."