UK Commons Votes 385–26 to Ban Palestine Action as Terrorist Group

The UK House of Commons voted 385–26 on 2 July to add direct-action network Palestine Action to the country’s list of proscribed terrorist organisations. The draft order, laid by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper under the Terrorism Act 2000, was debated alongside two white-supremacist groups, Maniacs Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement. If the measure clears the House of Lords on Thursday, it will become a criminal offence—punishable by up to 14 years in prison—to be a member of, or publicly support, Palestine Action.

Ministers said the group had shown a willingness to use violence and cause ‘millions of pounds’ of damage to national-security infrastructure. The move follows a 20 June break-in at RAF Brize Norton, Britain’s largest air base, where two military aircraft were sprayed with red paint. Security Minister Dan Jarvis told MPs the vandalism was the latest in a series of attacks on defence sites and private companies linked to Israel carried out since the Gaza conflict escalated in 2023.

Palestine Action called the designation an attack on civil liberties and has mounted a legal challenge. London’s High Court last week granted co-founder Huda Ammori an urgent hearing to seek interim relief that could delay the ban while a judicial review proceeds. The ruling Lords vote and the court hearing are both scheduled for later this week, leaving the timing of the proscription’s entry into force uncertain.