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Rishi Sunak vows new laws to ban BDS will make it into statute books

The prime minister also promised to forge close ties with Israel through a free trade deal and to work together to stop Iran getting nuclear weapons

December 1, 2022 14:51
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1 min read

The Prime Minister has promised to pass new laws to ban boycotts of Israel; to forge close ties with Israel through a free trade deal; and to work together to stop Iran getting nuclear weapons.

In a letter sent on Wednesday to Conservative Friends of Israel, Rishi Sunak wrote of his “dedication to Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, as well as my support for the UK’s Jewish community, who have made an extraordinary contribution to Great Britain”.

He said Israel was “an incredibly important ally of the United Kingdom”, adding that the relationship between the two countries had made their citizens healthier and safer thanks to collaboration over Covid vaccines, “more prosperous thanks to record trade flows, and also safer as a result of close security and military cooperation”.

Mr Sunak promised that the law prohibiting boycott divestment and sanctions (BDS) – originally contained in the 2019 Tory manifesto – would make it into the statute book.