Foreign Secretary pledges tougher stance on Israel, Gaza and the occupied West Bank at Labour Party conference.
On Monday last week, foreign secretary Ed Miliband told the Labour Party conference that the UK government is set to embrace “progressive values” on foreign policy, including a tougher stance on Israel’s actions in Gaza and illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Addressing the conference, the foreign secretary told Labour members and the media that the UK government stands against antisemitism in any form and will continue to recognise the threats Israel faces, however stated: “this cannot justify the suffering the Netanyahu government has inflicted in Gaza and the West Bank. This suffering is a stain on the conscience of the world.”
Speaking to the British public during his conference address, Miliband said: “I want to say to the millions of people in this country, and indeed elsewhere who have been moved and outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people, we hear you. You were right. And under Andy’s leadership, we have reset our approach.”
Since his appointment in July, Miliband stated the British Government agreed that ‘settler terrorists’ in the West Bank were carrying out ethnic cleansing of Palestinians through illegal settlements and unlawful occupation.
Addressing parliament at the beginning of September, the foreign secretary told MP’s, “The government believes the unlawfulness of the occupation should be reflected in the economic relationships we choose to have with the occupied territories.”
Miliband announced to parliament the government would place a ban on imported goods from illegal settlements and sanctions towards those who “finance or facilitate illegal settlements” as part of a “new comprehensive sanctions regime..with appropriate religious exemptions.”
Reiterating these sanctions on Monday, the foreign secretary spoke of the “shelter and sanctuary’ given to his grandmother by Israel, stating the sanctions implemented do not reflect an argument with “the people of Israel, but with the actions of its government.” Miliband said Labour was proud to believe in international solidarity and a party that acts on “what we believe”.
Under the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour Party faced mounting pressure and criticism from the public over the prescription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, as well as the arrests of over 3,500 Brits* under terror laws for peaceful protest against the ban of the group.
Palestine Action, founded in 2020 with the aim of “ending global participation in Israel’s genocide and apartheid regime” was proscribed as a terrorist group under the Terrosim Act 2000 in July 2025. The government stated the group had resulted in “hundreds of millions of pounds worth of criminal damage and lost revenue” as well as participating in, preparing for and promoting/ encouraging terrorism.
During the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, more than 250 protesters gathered outside for a peaceful protest in support of Palestine Action the day prior to the foreign secretary’s announcement.
Merseyside police said more than 50 people had been arrested under suspicion of supporting a prescribed organisation.
Miliband’s remarks surrounding those who oppose the genocide have been heavily criticised and marked ‘hyprotical’ by members of the public and fellow political parties following the announcement of such arrests and sparked calls that the government must reverse the prescription of Palestine Action.
Scottish Green spokesperson for Justice and MSP, Maggie Chapman said: “Seeing ministers applaud the conscience of campaigners from a conference stage, while people outside face arrest for expressing their solidarity, and people in Gaza continue to face unimaginable torment in the face of genocide, is as out-of-touch as it is cruel.”
“If the Labour Government is remotely serious about changing course, it must end the proscription of Palestine Action and defend our fundamental rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest.”
Maggie Chapman continued by stating: “Instead of banning protesters, the UK Government should be banning arms sales to Israel and ensuring that the UK is no longer complicit in the oppression of the Palestinian people.”
As of February 2026, Oxfam reports that the UK has “licensed at least £500 million worth of military exports to Israel” since 2015, this included components for armed and surveillance drones, F-35 fighter jets used in airstrikes as well as previously training Israeli military personnel on British soil.
*figure as of June 2026 reported by Amnesty International
