Agenda item

Agenda item

Stop the Anti-Boycott Bill (proposed by Cllr Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini, seconded by Cllr Chris Jarvis

Oxford Socialist Independents Group Motion

 

Council Notes

 

  1. The Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons on 10 January 2024.[1] It will now continue its passage through the House of Lords.
  2. The legislation has been dubbed the ‘Anti-Boycott Bill’ and seeks to stop public bodies from making any decisions around investment and procurement that aren’t in line with UK government foreign or economic trade policies. [2]
  3. The Anti-Boycott Bill is specifically designed to target the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement - an initiative launched by Palestinian civil society organisations. The BDS movement seeks to end international support for Israel's oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law. 
  4. The only geographical areas that the legislation would prohibit the government making exemption provisions for are - as listed in the Bill - ‘Israel’, ‘the Occupied Palestine Territories’ and ‘the Occupied Golan Heights’.[3] The legislation would therefore explicitly prohibit public bodies - including local authorities - from engaging in any form of boycott of Israeli goods and services, including those produced or developed through an illegal occupation.
  5. More than 60 charities, campaign groups, civil society organisations and trade unions have publicly opposed the legislation, including ASLEF, CWU, FBU, Friends of the Earth, Global Justice Now, Greenpeace, Jews for Justice for Palestinians, Liberty, Methodist Church in Britain, Muslim Association of Britain, Na’Amod, NEU, NUS, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, PCS, Unison, UCU, and War on Want.[4]

 

Council Believes

 

  1. The Anti-Boycott Bill is an anti-democratic measure which restricts the ability of public bodies to take ethics and human rights into account in key parts of their decision making. It has profound implications on public bodies’ ability to act upon human rights violations, slavery and environmental destruction. 
  2. Ethical boycotts from public bodies - including local councils - have played an important role in many historic campaigns for justice - most notably in the struggle against the Apartheid regime in South Africa. 
  3. Local authorities like Oxford City Council have a duty to speak out and resist such attempts to diminish democracy.

 

Council Resolves



To ask the leader of the council to: 

1.    Issue a public statement condemning the Anti-Boycott Bill. 

2.    Write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities - Michael Gove - expressing Oxford City Council’s opposition to the legislation and calling for him to withdraw the Bill. 

3.    Write to Ben Jamal, Director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, expressing Oxford City Council’s opposition to the Anti-Boycott Bill and support for the Right to Boycott campaign.

4.    Write to Labour leader Keir Starmer, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, and Green Party co-leaders Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer, encouraging them to ensure that their MPs actively oppose the legislation in parliament. 

5.    Write to the leaders of the parliamentary groups in the House of Lords, encouraging them to ensure that peers within their groups actively oppose the legislation in the Lords.

Minutes:

Cllr L Smith left the meeting, having declared an interest on this item.

Councillor Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini, seconded by Councillor Chris Jarvis, proposed the motion as set out in the briefing note.  Councillor Djafari-Marbini proposed an amendment to the motion, replacing point 3 of ‘this Council resolves’ to “Write to the Right to Boycott campaign expressing Oxford City Council’s opposition to the Anti-Boycott Bill.”

Councillor Christopher Smowton withdrew his amendment as set out in the briefing note.

Council debated the amended motion. Following debate and on being put to the vote, the amended motion was agreed.

 

Council Notes

  1. The Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons on 10 January 2024.[1] It will now continue its passage through the House of Lords.
  2. The legislation has been dubbed the ‘Anti-Boycott Bill’ and seeks to stop public bodies from making any decisions around investment and procurement that aren’t in line with UK government foreign or economic trade policies. [2]
  3. The Anti-Boycott Bill is specifically designed to target the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement - an initiative launched by Palestinian civil society organisations. The BDS movement seeks to end international support for Israel's oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law. 
  4. The only geographical areas that the legislation would prohibit the government making exemption provisions for are - as listed in the Bill - ‘Israel’, ‘the Occupied Palestine Territories’ and ‘the Occupied Golan Heights’.[3] The legislation would therefore explicitly prohibit public bodies - including local authorities - from engaging in any form of boycott of Israeli goods and services, including those produced or developed through an illegal occupation.
  5. More than 60 charities, campaign groups, civil society organisations and trade unions have publicly opposed the legislation, including ASLEF, CWU, FBU, Friends of the Earth, Global Justice Now, Greenpeace, Jews for Justice for Palestinians, Liberty, Methodist Church in Britain, Muslim Association of Britain, Na’Amod, NEU, NUS, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, PCS, Unison, UCU, and War on Want.[4]

 

Council Believes

 

  1. The Anti-Boycott Bill is an anti-democratic measure which restricts the ability of public bodies to take ethics and human rights into account in key parts of their decision making. It has profound implications on public bodies’ ability to act upon human rights violations, slavery and environmental destruction. 
  2. Ethical boycotts from public bodies - including local councils - have played an important role in many historic campaigns for justice - most notably in the struggle against the Apartheid regime in South Africa. 
  3. Local authorities like Oxford City Council have a duty to speak out and resist such attempts to diminish democracy.

 

Council Resolves

 

  1. To ask the leader of the council to: 
    1. Issue a public statement condemning the Anti-Boycott Bill. 
    2. Write to the secretary state for leveling up, housing and communities - Michael Gove - expressing Oxford City Council’s opposition to the legislation and calling for him to withdraw the Bill.
    3. Write to the Right to Boycott campaign expressing Oxford City Council’s opposition to the Anti-Boycott Bill.
    4. Write to Labour leader Keir Starmer, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, and Green Party co-leaders Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer, encouraging them to ensure that their MPs actively oppose the legislation in parliament. 
    5. Write to the leaders of the parliamentary groups in the House of Lords, encouraging them to ensure that peers within their groups actively oppose the legislation in the Lords.

 

 

Cllr L Smith and Hayes re-joined the meeting.