Over 1,000 politicians across Britain’s range of political parties have vowed support for the 'Pledge for Palestine' petition ahead of the crunch May local elections set to test many Labour-run councils.
According to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which launched the campaign in December, the pledge commits the representatives to "uphold the rights of the Palestinian people" and "stand up to Israel for its crimes of genocide and apartheid".
The pledge also commits them to "ensure their councils are not complicit, including through divestment of pension funds from complicit companies".
With their signatures, the 1,028 councillors who have signed have vowed to tackle the issue of pension funds which invest in Israel-linked companies.
Reports suggest that local councils have invested more than £12.2 billion in companies with links to Israel, including in arms companies that manufacture parts for Israeli jets and other military infrastructure that has been used to destroy much of the besieged Gaza Strip.
Thirty-one councils had previously issued statements and passed motions in support of the divestment of pension funds from firms deemed complicit in Israel’s crimes.
The pledge has drawn the strongest support among Greens, with 345 signatories but 338 Labour councillors have also signed up. 104 councillors from the Liberal Democrats also signed the pledge.
Council representatives from the SNP, Plaid Cymru, Scottish Greens, Your Party, the Conservatives, local parties, and Independents have also signed the pledge.
"We’ve all seen the devastation caused by Israel’s genocide in Gaza, but none have felt it more deeply than Hackney residents I’ve spoken to who have lost family members in Palestine" said Zoë Garbett, a Green councillor from Hackney who signed the pledge.
"The council took a stand against South African apartheid and now it’s time we make a similar stand for the Palestinians".
Dr Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini, an independent councillor from Oxford city, said that "So many politicians have voiced their concerns about the Israeli crimes we have witnessed in recent times but very few have taken concrete action", adding that this campaign "highlights a candidate’s honesty, integrity, and consistency when it comes to application of international law".
Palestine a defining issue in upcoming local elections
Palestine has emerged as a pivotal issue shaping the UK’s upcoming local elections on 7 May, where over 4,850 councillor seats across English councils are contested.
Campaigners argue that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s delayed call for a ceasefire alienated many Labour voters, fuelling four Labour losses to pro-Palestine independents in the July 2024 elections and mounting pressure from left-wing rivals.
Labour MP Richard Burgon warned that "Keir Starmer’s refusal to stand up for the rights of the Palestinian people is wrong and has already badly hurt Labour at the polls. We saw that in the last general election, and I fear we will see it again in the May local elections".
Burgon urged the government to listen to voices in the party "rightly demanding action against Israel's genocide and war crimes and do so before even more damage is done and we lose more hardworking, principled councillors".
Vote Palestine 2026 – an umbrella group comprising PSC, Palestinian Youth Movement Britain, The Muslim Vote, British Palestinian Committee, and Palestinian Forum in Britain – aims to keep the issue front and centre, mobilising voters to back pledge-signers and refute non-signatories.
Dan Iley-Williamson from the PSC stated: "The mass movement for Palestine – which has brought millions onto Britain’s streets – is not going away. Vote Palestine will take our demands into the May elections and deliver a message to those seeking office: If you want our votes, stand up for Palestine".
Vote Palestine is involved in more than a dozen campaigns across places like London, Newcastle, Birmingham, Sheffield, and other cities.
In London, every single council seat is up for grabs this May, putting pressure on Labour's big majority in areas like Hackney, where Greens and independents have fully signed the pledge, unlike just a few Labour councillors.