UK: Labour minister tells local councils they could be sued for boycotting Israel

A senior British minister has warned Labour administered councils that they could be sued for boycotting Israeli businesses.

The threat comes after multiple local authorities in the past year voted to boycott companies complicit in Israeli war crimes, arm Israel or benefit from its occupation of Palestinian territory.

Reed said that councils could be sued under the Procurement Act 2023 over their boycotts by suppliers who lose money, and could be required to pay damages.

In March, Oxford City Council passed a motion supporting the BDS movement against Israel, citing International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings.