LONDON: The UK government is expected to present a bill this week banning local councils from launching boycotts of Israeli products, The Guardian reported.
The proposed law would forbid councils from taking part in the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which aims to pressure Israel through economic activism.
Michael Gove, the minister overseeing local government, is introducing the legislation on the grounds that boycotting Israeli goods leads to “appalling antisemitic rhetoric and abuse.”
He added: “It is simply wrong that public bodies have been wasting taxpayers’ time and money pursuing their own foreign policy agenda. The UK must have a consistent approach to foreign policy, set by UK government.”
Several city councils, including those in Lancaster and Leicester, have supported the BDS movement and boycotted goods sourced from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories.
Swansea and Gwynedd councils in Wales passed motions to boycott goods from “illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, until such time as Israel complies with international law and withdraws from Palestinian-occupied territories.”
The proposed government bill was first set out in a general election manifesto by the ruling Conservative Party in 2019.
The bill would grant ministers the right to open investigations into BDS actions and levy fines against councils that breach the rules.
Opposition leader Keir Starmer has said his Labour Party does not support the BDS movement, in a break from his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.
