LABOUR MPS DEMAND UK TRADE BAN ON ILLEGAL ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS

More than 140 Labour MPs have called on the government to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The MPs signed a letter addressed to the Prime Minister demanding legislative action on the issue. The move represents one of the largest internal rebellions within the Labour Party since it took office. The letter follows public criticism directed at Keir Starmer over the government's response to alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting was among those accused by colleagues of failing to adequately address the situation in Gaza. The signatories specifically target trade with settlements described under international law as illegal. The letter calls for a formal prohibition rather than voluntary measures or guidance. The demand places direct pressure on Starmer to take a legislative position on Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.

The scale of the letter's support reflects significant unease within the parliamentary Labour Party over Middle East policy. A trade ban of this kind would require primary or secondary legislation to take effect in the United Kingdom. The government has not yet issued a formal response to the letter's demands. The development adds to ongoing pressure on the Starmer administration to distinguish its foreign policy position from that of its predecessor.