Labour's foreign secretary pledges tougher action on Israeli settlements at conference

At the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, foreign secretary Ed Miliband announced a revamped foreign-policy approach under Prime Minister Andy Burnham, emphasizing cooperation with “like-minded” states on global issues. He declared that the UK will label Israeli settlement activity as illegal, impose comprehensive sanctions on settlements, and ban imports and services that support them, echoing recent moves by France and Canada.

Miliband praised public pressure on Palestine, citing “you were right,” and vowed to defend the two-state solution, while also condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He invoked the so-called Carney Doctrine, suggesting a middle-power alliance to counterbalance great powers. The speech was met with cheers but also occurred as police arrested around 150 protesters opposing the ban on the activist group Palestine Action.