Lewisham council agrees "watered down" Divest for Palestine motion
Campaigners' divestment petition, which had over 3,000 signatures, made it onto the Agenda for debate. Green group leader Shrivastava proposed a motion for full divestment, while Cllr Sian Eiles, Pensions Investment Committee (PIC) chair, proposed an amendment which council agreed.
Campaigners rallied outside Lewisham Town Hall before the council meeting on 16 July where their petition, which had over 3,000 signatures, was debated.
After 21 months of protest, campaigners finally had their chance to present their petition to the council.
The first speaker, Maddie, said she works for the council and pays into the local government pension scheme. She spoke of her "dismay" when she learnt that she is helping to fund "what will be remembered as one of the worst atrocities of our lifetime."
"Right now, our pension fund has over £65 million tied to companies complicit in Israel's oppression of Palestinians," she said.
"That includes military suppliers like Palantir, which provides AI technology to the Israeli military, and Israeli banks funding illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, settlements deemed unlawful under international law."
She stated the petition's two demands:
- for the PIC to introduce exclusionary criteria to stop investing in these companies, or to create a new ethical fund which excludes them
- to drop Barclays Bank and find an ethical alternative.
The second speaker was Trevor, also a member of Lewisham council pension scheme. He recalled the debate on the boycott of apartheid South Africa, and the arguments of the time: "It's too complicated to take action. It's not our place, it's our duty to remain apolitical".
He pointedly asked councillors, "Will you defend party politics, or will you defend Palestinian lives?"
52 of Lewisham's 54 councillors sit for the Labour party, and throughout the meeting made frequent reference to Labour policies and Labour values.
However, the Labour government has been conspicuously silent regarding the atrocities occurring in Gaza and the West Bank and has failed to take action to stop Israel's onslaught and starvation of Gaza.
Two of the Lewisham councillors who have spoken out on Palestine over the past 18 months were disciplined by Lewisham Labour Group. Councillor Liam Shrivastava and councillor Hau-Yu Tam have now joined the Green Party.
Councillor Sian Eiles, PIC chair, thanked residents for the petition, expressed her horror at the "barbarous actions" of Israel and her support for the Palestinian right to self-determination.
Before outlining the actions that she is taking as chair of the Pensions Investment Committee, she warned:
"Our legal duty is to act in the best financial interests of current and future employees, this is our binding obligation. Political or ethical considerations cannot override it, but they can inform our approach."
Eiles explained that she had renewed the Responsible Investment Belief and launched a new engagement strategy, including sessions with two fund managers where council members questioned them directly.
The council had received updated legal advice in January 2025, confirming that investment decisions must align with the investment strategy statement and that members' views should be considered.
Eiles had initiated discussions with chairs of other London pension funds and started the development of an exclusion framework. She warned that this will not be a quick process.
Shrivastava commended the community for bringing the petition, but questioned the commitment of the council to divestment and full disclosure.
"The council has so far refused a comprehensive exclusion list or to acknowledge its legal obligations under international law," he said.
The debate continued as the final item at the end of a very long council meeting. Shrivastava proposed the Green Party motion just before 10pm:
"I bring this motion not to grandstand, but to reiterate that this council and every council has a legal duty to prevent genocide and must therefore cease any financial or other activity that facilitates it."
He pointed to the Labour government's failures, not only to prevent genocide, but "actively facilitating it", including concerns raised over the RAF's "spy flights" from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus over Gaza.
Referring to Lisa Nandy's meeting with the Israeli ambassador - to discuss Glastonbury - and the recent proscription of Palestine Action, he said:
"This is a Labour government that is more concerned with criminalising solidarity with Palestinians than criminalising those committing genocide against them."
His unwelcome message to Labour colleagues was, "as representatives of the Labour Party, your hands are far from clean".
He explained his concerns about the amendment - that it fails to mention the council's legal obligations relating to the ICJ ruling and it omits the UN OHCHR list of companies involved in illegal activities, which should be excluded.
Councillor Hau-Yu Tam seconded the motion, describing Lewisham's commitment in the 1970s and 80s to dismantling apartheid in South Africa.
The council transferred its business from Barclays Bank, the largest bank in South Africa, in 1972, and became one of the first councils to adapt a permanent boycott of South Africa in 1963.
Eiles proposed the amendment, emphasising that as a member of the London CIV (LCIV) - the organisation of pooled council investment funds, "we cannot act unilaterally in Lewisham. It's a joint decision for all of the chairs on that fund."
The amendment keeps references to the rulings of the CIJ in January 2024, May 2024 and July 2024, but removes the point:
"In light of the numerous rulings by the ICJ, the council is, as an arm of the UK government, obligated to observe international law, which includes taking all necessary steps to avoid genocide ..".
It is replaced with a paragraph offering examples of the government's actions which demonstrate "its commitment to international law and human rights". This includes pausing the UK negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement with Israel in May 25 and sanctions on two Israeli ministers imposed in June 2025.
Shrivastava responded that the amendment was trying to absolve the council of its legal obligations and responsibilities: "Activists are going to keep on having to come back here and demand this change."
The amendment was voted through by all Labour councillors in attendance; the two Green councillors abstained.
Simon Childs
Luis Lago
Dorothy Stein
Dorothy Stein
