A large crowd of protesters gathered in Liverpool on Saturday, urging the Keir Starmer government to impose a complete embargo on arms sales to Israel, as the Gaza conflict nears its one-year mark. The demonstrators, rallying near Lime Street railway station, marched to King’s Dock where Labour Party delegates were holding their first annual conference since coming to power.

Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), called for an immediate and full arms embargo, criticizing the recently announced “partial suspension” of around 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel as insufficient. “The Labour government knows Israel is committing crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, but it is still shielding Israel from accountability,” Jamal said.

Despite British Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s statement that some exports posed a “clear risk” of violating international humanitarian law, the PSC and the broader labor movement are pushing for stronger action. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has also passed a motion demanding an end to all UK arms trading with Israel.

“This is a moral test for Keir Starmer and the Labour leadership. They need to uphold international law and confront those who undermine it, regardless of who they are,” Jamal added.

The Liverpool rally marks the first national pro-Palestine march outside London. In the capital, hundreds of thousands have protested weekly against Israel’s actions since October 2023.

The UK government has issued over 100 export licenses for weapons and military equipment to Israel since the beginning of its offensive in Gaza, without rejecting or revoking any applications, despite increasing international calls for a halt to arms sales.