UK city council locked in bin strike passes vote on Gaza – chamber chants ‘free Palestine’

Birmingham City Council passed a motion to review its financial links with Israel and write to the Foreign Secretary about Israeli settlements. The vote prompted chants of “Free Palestine” in the chamber and drew criticism from Israel’s embassy and political opponents, amid wider disputes over the council’s focus and its stance on Israel.

The motion, proposed by independent councillors Nosheen Khalid and Jamil Khan, calls for scrutiny of the West Midlands Pension Fund and the council’s banking arrangements. Khan said it condemned the killing of Israeli civilians on 7 October and Palestinians, while stressing the issue was not religious. No councillor had time to oppose the motion; Birmingham has also faced a bin strike since March 2025 and declared itself effectively bankrupt in 2023.