Britain’s Parliament on Monday voted to approve a bill that will bar local councils and other public bodies from boycotting Israeli goods. The measure passed 268-70 with some Conservative members of Parliament opposing the bill, and Labour party MPs abstaining from the vote. The report said the Labour Party at first tried to block the vote on the bill before abstaining, allowing the measure to pass. A commitment to advance such a law first appeared in a 2019 election campaign manifesto by the Conservative Party. The previous leader of the opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, had supported boycotts targeting West Bank settlements, though not blanket boycotts of Israel.

Source: The Times July 04, 2023 21:11 UTC