Pro-Palestine activist interrupts UK minister speech at Labour conference

The protester disrupts Rachel Reeves’ code to inquire wherefore the UK authorities was continuing to ‘arm Israel’.

A pro-Palestine activistic has interrupted the United Kingdom’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves’ code during the yearly Labour Party league successful Liverpool to telephone retired the country’s ongoing complicity successful Israel’s genocidal war successful Gaza.

The protester, aboriginal named arsenic Sam P, stood up little than 10 minutes into the concern minister’s speech, holding a ample Palestinian emblem and asking, “Why is Britain inactive arming Israel?”

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3‘Horrific’: Israel bombs hospitals, residential towers amid Gaza onslaught
• list 2 of 3Does planetary designation mean Palestine is going to beryllium a state?
• list 3 of 3Gaza and Palestine were ascendant themes astatine UN. Will it marque a difference?

“Labour is complicit successful the wide starvation of Palestinians,” helium added.

In effect to the protest, Reeves told delegates, “We recognize your origin and we are recognising a Palestinian state.

“But we are present a enactment successful government, not a enactment of protest,” Reeves added, receiving a lasting ovation from those successful the audience.

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves gives her keynote code during the yearly Labour Party league successful Liverpool, England, Monday, September 29, 2025 [Jon Super/AP]

But successful a connection from the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), which planned the disruption for London for a Free Palestine, the radical called connected the ruling Labour Party to enforce a “full two-way arms embargo connected Israel”.

“The extremity of RAF surveillance flights implicit Gaza that stitchery quality for Israel … The contiguous resignation of Labour Party enactment for lying to the nationalist astir Britain’s complicity successful enabling Israel’s genocide … [and] an extremity to Britain’s diplomatic ties with Israel,” the connection read.

In May, PYM released a report that recovered that the British authorities had continued to nonstop subject exports to Israel contempt the UK announcing that it had chopped arms export licences to Israel that could beryllium utilized during the war.

Nihal, an organiser with PYM, said the enactment was taken due to the fact that the “horror successful Gaza is lone increasing arsenic Palestinian radical are experiencing the astir convulsive bombardment since the opening of the genocide.

“Tens of thousands of Palestinians person already been starved, bombed, and killed portion the Labour Party approves weapons licences, shares intelligence, and offers diplomatic screen for these crimes,” they added.

Leila, an organiser with London for a Free Palestine, added that they were “watching the extremity of the Labour Party”, traditionally erstwhile a enactment of the near which has veered centre-right connected galore issues.

“Despite the UN Commission of Inquiry declaring Israel is enacting genocide, the Labour authorities inactive continues to contradict the genocide and connection diplomatic enactment for Israel’s crimes,” Leila said.

Earlier successful September, the UK officially recognised Palestinian statehood successful a landmark decision, 108 years aft the Balfour Declaration successful 1917, which supported the constitution of a location for Jews successful Palestine, and 77 years aft the instauration of Israel successful the British Mandate of Palestine.

While the designation was welcomed by Palestinian officials, for those suffering Israeli atrocities successful Gaza, the announcement had nary worldly effect to easiness their regular horrors.

In astir 2 years of aggravated Israeli bombardment, and present a crushed penetration of Gaza City, the destroyed enclave’s largest municipality centre, astatine slightest 66,055 radical person been killed and 168,346 wounded, Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported connected Monday.

Hundreds of thousands of radical successful the UK person protested, often weekly, against Israel’s warfare successful the past 2 years and consciousness their voices person not been heard by the government.

There person besides been a bid of mostly peaceful rallies denouncing the UK government’s determination successful July to prohibition the Palestine Action radical nether the Terrorism Act 2000, which person been met by a heavy-handed constabulary effect and wide arrests.