Late this afternoon, news emerged that emergency motions calling for a full embargo on Israel have been approved by Labour’s Conference Arrangements Committee and will go to compositing.

 An unprecedented number of Constituency Labour Parties – around twenty – and trade unions submitted emergency motions demanding the government recognises the genocide in Gaza and impose sanctions on Israel, including a full arms embargo.

The CAC’s ruling came after it had earlier blocked more than thirty contemporary motions – a record number on Palestine – from reaching Party Conference, prompting Labour MP Clive Lewis to accuse Labour of “silencing debate on Israel’s genocide in Gaza.” Recent polling has found that 72% of Labour’s 2024 voters want a full arms embargo and 64% want Israel expelled from the UN.

In response, Labour members and trade unions submitted an unprecedented wave of emergency motions.

The CAC is made up of trade union officials and Party members, with the latter having been elected on the leadership-aligned ‘Labour to Win’ slate. According to Labour’s rules, emergency motions must “be a matter of urgent and immediate importance to the discussion by the whole Labour Party” and have arisen after the closing date for contemporary motions, Thursday 11th September. The emergency motions submitted meet this criteria: they cite the recognition of Palestine (21st September), the UN Commission of Inquiry report confirming genocide in Gaza (16th September), and the beginning of Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza City (16th September).

Mick Whelan, ASLEF General Secretary and Chair of TULO said: “International solidarity has been and always will be a cornerstone of the trade union movement. The Labour leadership needs to put a stop to these underhand attempts to silence members, allow motions on Gaza to be heard and immediately recognise the genocide being carried out against the Palestinian people. At the absolute minimum this must be backed by concrete action, including an arms embargo on Israel and meaningful sanctions to end complicity in these crimes.”

Sasha das Gupta, Co-Chair of Momentum welcomed the CAC’s decision, saying: “The recognition of the state of Palestine last week was welcome but is insufficient in the face of an ongoing genocide. The labour movement is clear – Israel’s genocide must end and the Government must do everything it can to stop it.”

Ben Jamal, Director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: “Almost two years into Israel’s genocide in Gaza, it is a mark of eternal shame that Keir Starmer’s Labour Party still refuses to call it what it is – a genocide – and take meaningful action to end Britain’s complicity.

“It is no surprise that an unprecedented influx of motions on Palestine have been sent to Labour’s annual Conference, demanding the Government stands up for the rights of the Palestinian people. 

“The Prime Minister must listen to this growing public outrage and acknowledge the genocide, sanction Israel, and end all arms sales.”

In other welcome news, the Labour whip was yesterday restored to MPS John McDonnell and Apsana Begum. They were suspended last year for voting to scrap the Tories’ two-child benefit cap, a policy recently denounced by leadership hopeful and Starmer loyalist as “spiteful”.

Momentum’s Co-Chairs called on the Government to end the cruel policy and urged Conference delegates to vote for Supporting Families in Conference’s Priorities Ballot tomorrow, to ensure the issue is discussed.

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