Birmingham City Council has passed a motion calling for a review of its financial links with Israel, prompting chants of "Free Palestine" in the chamber. The vote, held on Tuesday, was led by the Green and Lib Dem coalition that runs Britain's largest local authority.
Motion Details and Support
The motion, proposed by Better Birmingham independent councillors Nosheen Khalid and Jamil Khan, calls for an examination of the West Midlands Pension Fund and a review of the town hall's banking arrangements. It also resolves to write to the Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, about "illegal Israeli settlements."
Cllr Khalid said: "We are discussing Palestine at a time when the suffering of its people has been witnessed across the world. Entire communities have endured devastation and loss on a scale that is difficult to comprehend. Behind every legal ruling, every investment portfolio and every financial decision are human beings whose lives have been turned upside down, and I cannot ignore that reality."
Co-proposer Cllr Khan insisted the vote was not "Muslims against Jews," adding: "This isn't about religion. The killing of innocent Israelis on October 7 was wrong. The killing of innocent Palestinians is wrong."
Reactions and Criticism
The Israeli embassy condemned the move as part of an "anti-Israel" agenda, saying: "This initiative risks further legitimising hostility towards Israel and Birmingham's Jewish community. Rather than engaging in constructive dialogue and advancing the interests of Birmingham's residents, the Cabinet Member responsible for Health and Social Care is spearheading a short-sighted, politically motivated campaign against Israel, based on misleading interpretations of UN reports and advisory opinions."
Reform UK Birmingham group leader Cllr Jex Parkin said: "Residents want their bins collected, their streets cleaned, their roads repaired and their Council Tax spent wisely. Birmingham City Council is responsible for running Birmingham, not conducting British foreign policy. We are also deeply concerned about the message this sends to Jewish residents, particularly following the Green Party's appalling 'Zionism is Racism' policy. The council should spend less time debating international boycotts and more time making sure Birmingham's bins are emptied."
Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Katie Lam MP, called the council's focus on the Middle East a "complete disgrace." She said: "This is Europe's largest council. In just the past few years, people in Birmingham have suffered nearly two years of bin strikes, and watched their council go bankrupt. Yet, in an effort to stoke up group-based grievances, the Greens and their Lib Dem enablers are spending their time grandstanding about foreign affairs. This brand of obsessive sectarianism is poisonous for our democracy, and is a complete insult to taxpayers in Birmingham, who just want the roads fixed and the bins collected."
Further Condemnation and Context
Fellow Tory David Simmonds MP added: "It is deeply concerning that Birmingham City Council is using local taxpayers' money, as a weapon in a political campaign against Israel. The Liberal Democrats cannot have it both ways. They cannot condemn the Green Party's deep-rooted antisemitism nationally while cosying up to the Greens in Birmingham because it suits their political interests. Their continued participation in this coalition makes a mockery of their supposed principles, and Birmingham's Jewish community deserves better."
Former Labour MP Lord Austin called the councillors "clowns" and said they were obsessed with a war thousands of miles away. He added: "Birmingham City Council's Lib Dem and Green coalition – supported by Labour councillors - should hang their head in shame for pandering to anti-Israel obsessives. What good does this move do for the good people of Birmingham?"
The council has been locked in a bin strike since March 2025 and effectively declared itself bankrupt in 2023. No councillor had the opportunity to oppose the motion due to lack of time. The vote follows the Green Party's adoption of the "Zionism is racism" policy last month, and comes after West Midlands Police and the council were criticised over a decision to ban Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a football match at Aston Villa in November last year.
