UK Trades Union Congress Backs Historic Motion for Israel Boycott and Sanctions

People hold up flags and light flares near Knightsbridge, London, during the 78th Nakba anniversary march on May 16, 2026. The umbrella organisation for trade unions in the United Kingdom has passed a motion calling for an end to complicity in Israel’s war on Gaza and settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

The Trades Union Congress, representing more than 5.3 million workers, voted in favour of the motion on Wednesday during its annual conference in Brighton, southern England. The vote marks the first time the congress has backed the Palestinian-led movement Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions known as BDS.

“It’s essential for the trade union movement to answer the call from the BDS movement, to challenge all complicity and to use our collective powers, to stand shoulder to shoulder with Palestinians to Free Palestine,” said Zita Holborne from Artists’ Union England, which put forward the motion.

The unanimous vote demands that the Trades Union Congress take action to oppose what the motion described as the destruction of Gaza and Israeli settler violence supported by the Israeli army. The steps include campaigning to end military cooperation and arms deals with Israel, calling on the government to impose wide-ranging sanctions on Israel and backing trade union-led campaigns in support of Palestine.

Co-founder of the BDS movement, Omar Barghouti, welcomed the development, stating that the mass movement of solidarity is compelling the government to take measures, though he noted it falls short of legal obligations.

The motion puts additional pressure on the government to take a stronger stance against Israel’s actions. Last week, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced a ban on importing goods from Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law, while also stating opposition to the BDS movement.

Peter Leary, deputy director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, told Al Jazeera that the vote marked a tipping point, with trade unions paving the way to secure real change and force the government to end all military, diplomatic and economic support for Israel.