Ed Miliband Introduces Commons Statement on Settlement Trade Prohibition by Declaring He Is a ‘Proud British Jew’
Ed Miliband initiated his parliamentary address regarding the trade restriction on illegal settlements by highlighting his pride in his Jewish identity.
He stated:
I would like to make a statement on Israel and Palestine. I do so as a proud British Jew, someone with the deepest gratitude to the State of Israel for giving a home to my grandmother after she lost her husband, my grandfather, and 60 other family members with the hands of the Nazis.
I remember visiting her in the 1970s in Tel Aviv and seeing the life and sanctuary Israel had provided. Indeed, some of my most joyful childhood memories were picking oranges as a kid on the kibbutz where my cousins lived.
My personal story, and that of thousands of British Jews, is one of the many reasons why I say to anyone here or around the world who questions Israel’s right to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people, you are wrong, and we will call you out whenever you engage in this attempt at the erasure of Israel.
Miliband Identifies Two-State Solution as ‘North Star’ of UK Policy Towards Israel
Miliband noted that numerous British Jews “live in fear in the face of rising antisemitism”.
He continued:
When I went to school in the 1980s, I did so without fear. Today we need to face the truth. That is not the case for thousands of Jewish children across the UK. Children who have to go to school with security guards outside their school. No child should have to go to school facing this. And no teacher should face antisemitism either.
Whether it happens in our schools, universities or workplaces, or online or on our streets, antisemitism is a scourge and an evil.
Miliband explained that while the administration has committed £250m to protective initiatives for Jewish communities, additional steps are required.
I will in October hosted representatives of the G7, the countries with the largest Jewish populations from across the world. We will meet in the UK to discuss the different ways we can work across borders to tackle antisemitism, including tackling online hate.
He further maintained that backing Israel does not conflict with endorsing a Palestinian state.
I’m proud of my Jewishness and unwavering in my support for the state of Israel. And there is absolutely no contradiction between this and my support for the state of Palestine.
Indeed, quite the opposite.
The two-state solution is based on an explicit belief that the only route to security for both peoples is to live side by side in peaceful coexistence with freedom, security and self-determination.
Securing the two-state solution in its fullest form is the north star of this government’s policy, and indeed of successive British governments over decades.
Miliband also affirmed that defence and intelligence collaboration with Israel will persist.
Tackling these threats [from Iran] is just one of the most one of the important shared national security interests we have with Israel, on which we will continue to cooperate.
Miliband Denounces Iran as Danger to ‘Israel and Jews Across the World’
Miliband proceeded to condemn the 7 October attacks by Hamas.
It was a murderous act by a murderous terrorist organisation designed to massacre and instil fear across the whole population.
October 7 makes plain the grave threats the Israel faces, and it has every right to defend itself. We should not only condemn those threats, but act against those who carry them out.
He observed that Tehran “continues to threaten Israel and Jews across the world,” adding:
We have already designated Iran’s IRGC, and we will do more today on Iran’s proxy groups. So today I can also announce we are sanctioning Lebanese Hezbollah’s financing arm, al-Jihad al-Hassan.
Iran must never have a nuclear weapon. So we are also acting this week to report Iran to the UN security council for its nuclear violations alongside our allies.
And I can announce today that we are also reimposing major economic sanctions on Iran, in line with the European Union and the United States.
Following the conclusion of an urgent question on the Falkland Islands—in which members across the House demonstrated a resolute commitment to British sovereignty comparable to 1982—Ed Miliband commenced his statement concerning Israel.
Camden Green Councillors Say Challenge to Polanski Was Aimed at Fostering Internal Debate
Reported by Peter Walker, senior political correspondent:
The reported challenge against Zack Polanski serving as the Green party candidate in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection is not as divisive as initially thought.
On Monday, Camden councillor Hamza Chowdhury publicly announced his bid for the candidacy, labeling Polanski as “a politician you’ll only see on a leaflet”.
Chowdhury noted support from six colleagues, including group leader Lorna Russell, suggesting seven out of the ten Green councillors in Camden opposed their party leader.
However, reports confirm that while the six representatives sponsored Chowdhury, their sole intent was to facilitate an open race, with all ultimately backing Polanski.
Russell remarked:
Democracy works best when members have a genuine choice when they cast their vote. Widening the ballot and giving more voices the opportunity to be heard is healthy for democracy and gives members the opportunity to make an informed choice about who they want to represent them.
Polanski remains widely anticipated to secure the nomination for the 8 October vote, barring unexpected developments reminiscent of Jeremy Corbyn’s 2015 leadership race, where non-supporting Labour MPs backed him onto the ballot purely to expand choice before he subsequently won.
Badenoch Alleges Labour West Bank Trade Restrictions Are Rooted in Antisemitism
Writing in the Jewish Chronicle, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch published a sharp critique of the decision to ban goods from illegal West Bank settlements, asserting antisemitic undertones similar to points raised earlier by US ambassador Mike Huckabee.
Key points from her critique include:
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Accusing Labour of fostering the “normalisation of antisemitism” under Andy Burnham just as under Jeremy Corbyn:
For any observer of British politics, the normalisation of antisemitism has been one of the most disturbing trends in recent years. Gone are the days when antisemitism was pushed underground or confined to only the extremist fringes of our national debate …
For years, Labour has insisted that the party has changed since Jeremy Corbyn. They tell Britain’s Jewish community that the poison which flourished under his leadership has been confronted. They hold meetings, issue statements, and promise that antisemitism will never again be tolerated.
Yet their actions tell a different story.
What has been revealed this week beyond any doubt is that while Corbyn may have lost the Labour leadership, he very much did win the argument inside the party.
For all Labour claim to have rooted out antisemitism internally, the degree of anti-Israel hatred means that Labour’s approach to many of these issues is Corbyn in all but name.
Corbyn consistently rejects accusations of antisemitism, maintaining that criticizing Israel does not equate to prejudice, with Keir Starmer and Burnham likewise issuing strong condemnations of antisemitism.
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Claiming Burnham’s administration is capitulating on UK interests to satisfy radical factions:
Labour’s obsession with Israel is rooted in UK politics. It’s got less to do with peace in the Middle East, and more to do with trying to keep the peace in the Labour party.
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Warning that the policy will stimulate anti-Jewish hostility within the UK:
Any decision to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank will become a de facto boycott on Israel given the difficulty any British business will face separating “legitimate” and “illegitimate” activities. It will inflame protests and violence against businesses that trade with Israel.
This matters because antisemitism does not exist in a vacuum.
The government itself has acknowledged that hatred of Israel has been at the heart of some of the antisemitism we have witnessed since October 7. Ministers therefore cannot simultaneously recognise that connection and behave as though the relentless demonisation and singling out of Israel has no effect on the atmosphere in Britain.
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Arguing that the measure threatens national security by undermining intelligence sharing:
Iranian-directed activity has threatened people on British soil. Israel confronts the same networks and the same ideology that threaten us. British citizens are alive today thanks to Israeli intelligence.
Picking unnecessary fights with a country that helps us combat terrorism is an act of national self-harm.
Throughout the article, Badenoch omitted criticism of Israeli settlement expansion or the broader plight of Palestinians, while offering no remarks on how settlements impact two-state prospects, aside from noting that democratic administrations are open to scrutiny.
US Representative Warns Florida Will Retaliate Against Nations Boycotting Israel
Republican Congressman Randy Fine responded via social media to remarks regarding Florida’s anti-boycott legislation:
As the British government considers forcing British companies to boycott portions of Israel, it should be aware that a Florida law that I passed as a member of the Legislature would ban any British company forced to comply from doing business with any state or local government in Florida.
It would also end any British business participating in that boycott from doing any business in Florida if it needed any official interaction with state or local government to operate (permits, tax collection).
Florida is one of Britain’s largest trading partners. They should understand that their vanity project in support of Muslim terror could cost them billions of dollars.
And for those who doubt the power of this policy, it was this same law that broke Airbnb’s misguided effort to boycott portions of Israel in 2019. They realized that this law would have bankrupted their company. Florida has made it clear.
Any company — or nation — that boycotts Israel is boycotted by Florida.
Pisa Rankings Reveal Disadvantaged Pupils in England Exceed European Benchmarks
Reported by Richard Adams, education editor:
The newest OECD Pisa results for 2025 demonstrate that 15-year-olds in England continue to perform above international averages across core areas despite broader global declines.
Education Secretary Lucy Powell previously emphasized in an interview with the Observer her desire to shift away from an pure exam-driven framework toward practical skill development.
OECD education head Andreas Schleicher commented:
Today we can see that the most disadvantaged students in the UK are doing better than their counterparts in Germany, for example.
Curriculum review leader Prof Becky Francis added:
Today’s Pisa scores tell a positive story about our school system and the hard work of teachers and school leaders. While the global decline in reading scores is deeply concerning, the UK is bucking the international trend, with England performing particularly strongly.
England is the only UK nation where performance across all three subjects has held up since 2015. That suggests there are important things our education system is getting right.
Independent Terror Reviewer Raises Concerns Over Escalated Domestic Threats
In an appearance on BBC Newsnight, the UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, cautioned that targeting West Bank settlements commercially could fuel domestic antisemitism:
I think there is a risk that if you stir the pot by making Israel a pariah state, then that will bring that flame up again, which we saw.
Remember, it was only a year ago that there was the attack at Heaton Park. And I’ve been very worried about delegitimising anyone who’s Israeli, certainly, and Jews, many of whom support Israel, and painting a bit of a target on the back.
Now, I’m sure the government will be very careful, I hope they will be, in the way in which they describe this, but that is a concern.
Originally published at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/sep/08/uk-us-trade-israel-sanctions-labour-ed-miliband-farage-latest-news-updates.
