New poll shows overwhelming majority of Labour members support a full arms export ban to Israel, illegal settlement trade ban

The polling, commissioned by Save the Children UK, Christian Aid, and Medical Aid for Palestinians as part of the Ally to Atrocities campaign, found that:

• 87% of Labour Party members support banning trade with illegal Israeli settlements, with 6% opposed.
• 78% support suspending all UK arms exports to Israel, including components for F-35 fighter jets, compared to 14% opposed.
• 68% support suspending the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership agreement, while 16% oppose.
• 62% are dissatisfied with the UK Government’s current approach to the occupied Palestinian territory, compared to 19% satisfied.
• 58% say the UK Government’s approach is important in their decision about who should lead the Labour Party.

The data comes amid continued attacks on Gaza despite the so-called “ceasefire” agreement, with Israeli forces having killed 930 Palestinians since 10 October 2025, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, while humanitarian access remains heavily restricted. Gaza’s healthcare system has been pushed beyond breaking point, with hospitals facing severe shortages of medicines, equipment, and fuel while medical needs continue to soar. With no hospital fully functioning in Gaza and aid still only trickling into Gaza, children continue to face alarming levels of malnutrition and disease in spite of the humanitarian obligations in the ceasefire agreement.

In the illegally occupied West Bank, Israeli authorities are advancing the long-standing E1 settlement plan, linking a major settlement bloc to East Jerusalem and risking mass forced displacement. This has long been a red line for successive UK Governments, with the FCDO last year calling the expansion “a flagrant breach of international law,” yet Ministers have so far failed to curb the aggressive expansion of these settlements.

Alison Griffin, Head of Conflict and Humanitarian Campaigns at Save the Children UK, said: "While children in Gaza continue to be killed, injured, displaced and denied access to the essentials they need to survive, the UK's response has fallen far short of what it is morally and legally required to do.

"The UK cannot claim to support international law while continuing policies that risk enabling violations of it. Nor can it continue to treat the unlawful occupation and illegal settlements as a diplomatic concern rather than a breach of international law requiring consequences.

"Families have endured conditions no child should ever face, while political inaction allows the suffering to continue. The Government must suspend all arms exports to Israel, including F-35 components, ban trade with illegal settlements, suspend the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement, and ensure accountability for all violations of international law.

"Children and families cannot afford further delay. We are beyond statements of concern and weak, inadequate action—this moment demands an end to complicity and urgent, concrete steps.”

Rohan Talbot, Director of Advocacy and Campaigns at Medical Aid for Palestinians, said: “While Palestinians in Gaza continue to be killed, starved, displaced and denied lifesaving aid, the UK cannot keep responding with empty words while these atrocities continue with total impunity. Every day without meaningful action means more lives lost, more children pushed into hunger, and hospitals stretched beyond breaking point.

These findings expose a widening gulf between the reality on the ground and the UK Government’s response – and should serve as a wake-up call for the Government to take immediate action. The Government must stop arms transfers to Israel, including parts for F-35 fighter jets, end trade with illegal settlements, and ensure accountability for violations of international law.”

The Ally to Atrocities coalition is calling for urgent action from the UK Government in response:

• Suspend all arms transfers to Israel, including parts for F-35 fighter jets
• Ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank
• Suspend the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement
• Hold all perpetrators accountable for violations of international law

[ENDS]

Spokespeople quoted in the press release are all available for interview on request. Please contact the Medical Aid for Palestinians press office to arrange at: [email protected] or +44 (0) 203 869 1310

Notes to editor

• About the Poll: Data is from an online survey conducted by Survation. Fieldwork dates: 22nd – 26th May 2026. Sample size: 1,036 Labour Party members aged 18+ in the UK. Data was strictly weighted by region, gender, age group, and the 2025 Deputy Leadership vote. Margin of error is approximately +/- 3.8%. Survation is a member of the British Polling Council.
• About the E1 Settlement: The E1 settlement plan is a proposed Israeli construction area in the occupied West Bank, located between East Jerusalem and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement bloc. If developed, it would link these settlements and effectively split the West Bank into northern and southern parts, severely restricting Palestinian territorial continuity and movement. It has long been viewed internationally as highly controversial because of its impact on the viability of a future contiguous Palestinian state.
  
  

About the Ally to Atrocities campaign

We are a coalition of British humanitarian INGOs working in the occupied Palestinian territory. Our colleagues have seen first-hand the scale of death and destruction in Gaza, as well as the escalations in violence in the West Bank. We’re joining together because we refuse to accept as normal both the horrors that Palestinians have faced and the UK Government’s complicity. We demand that the UK Government uphold both their legal and moral responsibilities to protect civilians and hold all perpetrators accountable.

About Save the Children UK

https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/
Save the Children exists to help every child get the chance of a future they deserve. In more than 100 countries, including the UK, we make sure children stay safe, healthy and learning – finding new ways to reach children who need us most. For a century, we’ve stood up for children’s rights and made sure their voices are heard. With children, for children, we change the future for good.

About Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)
https://www.map.org.uk

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) works for a future where every Palestinian has access to a comprehensive, effective and locally-led system of healthcare, and the full realisation of their rights to health and dignity. We work in the occupied Palestinian territory and in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.

About Christian Aid
https://www.christianaid.org.uk/
For 80 years, this truth has inspired us to stand together in solidarity with our most marginalised global neighbours, of all faiths and none. Poverty is an outrage against humanity. It robs people of their dignity and lets injustice thrive. We seek to eradicate extreme poverty by tackling its root causes. Together with people living in poverty, we amplify our voices to speak truth to power and create lasting change.