In an unprecedented unanimous cross-party vote, Kingston Council has committed to review how its pension fund is invested – a step that is expected to lead to the south west London local authority divesting from companies complicit in Israel’s mass slaughter of Palestinians.

Kingston is controlled by the Liberal Democrats and has no Labour councillors. But even the two Tories voted for the motion. The debate was spurred by local activists who gathered 1,578 verified signatures from Kingstonians in just three months – well over the required threshold of 1,000 signatures.

Over 70 local supporters showed up to hear the petition presentation and debate. Lead petitioner and Surbiton resident Sonu Sayeed made a passionate, well-evidenced speech that emphasised the Council’s failure to adhere to its own policy that the Kingston Pension Fund “takes a proactive approach to human rights”.

According to research by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign published last February, Kingston Council has £60 million invested in complicit companies. But last month’s UN report published by Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese was particularly timely and relevant as it explicitly names several complicit companies in which Kingston Council holds investments.

The motion passed calls for the creation of a cross-party Task & Finish Group to “conduct a full, urgent, and transparent review of all pension fund investments” and make recommendations in time for the Pension Fund Panel’s meeting on 17th September 2025. The process will be fully transparent, and the recommendations sent in writing to all petitioners.

Sonu Sayeed, the lead petitioner, reflected on the immensity of the night: “We went into the council meeting with hope, but the outcome was more powerful than we could have imagined. To hear councillors from across the political spectrum speak with such principle, and then to witness an unheard-of unanimous vote in favour of divestment, was a truly historic moment for Kingston. This gives our campaign a resounding mandate. While this vote is a huge victory, it’s the starting line, not the finish line. We are now focused on working with the council to ensure these words are turned into swift, transparent action.”

Sonu Sayeed’s speech focused heavily on human rights. “Among Kingston’s investments,” he said, “are nearly £600,000 in Israeli government bonds, and nearly £80,000 pounds in Palantir. Palantir has reportedly created software to help generate ‘kill lists’ for the Israeli military and has been described as ‘the AI arms dealer of the 21st century’.”

The speech also recognised the environmental devastation caused by Israel’s bombing of Gaza, and how investing in weapons companies that cause such destruction runs counter to the council’s values and work for the environment.

Key points also included the importance of fiduciary duty, for the Council to act in the best interests of the pension scheme members, many of whom signed the petition or are part of national unions that have endorsed the Local Government Pension Scheme divestment campaign. These include Unite, Unison and the GMB.

In recent months, twelve Councils across the UK have voted to divest. The list includes Oxford, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, and most recently Peterborough, amongst others. Within London, Waltham Forest, Islington, Tower Hamlets, and Lewisham have also voted to divest.