Protesters march on Labour conference, call for ending arms sale to Israel

Protesters march on Labour conference, call for ending arms sale to Israel

Hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters marched on Labour’s annual conference, the first after Andy Burnham took over as prime minister, in Liverpool and called for an end to UK arms sales to Israel.

Some of the protesters called for expanding the sanctions, which were imposed by the UK government recently on West Bank settlements, to all of Israel.

Britain has announced the country's strongest package of sanctions against Israel’s illegal settlements, targeting the trade, finance and services that sustain their expansion across the occupied West Bank.

In September 2024, the newly elected Starmer government suspended around 30 export licences for UK-made arms after assessing there was a "clear risk" the items could be used in Gaza in serious violations of international humanitarian law.

But the same government also approved $169m worth of military equipment for Israel over the next three months.