The Labour conference has backed a union-led motion accepting a UN finding that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and urging the British government to act to prevent it.
The emergency motion – proposed by the UK’s biggest union, Unison, and seconded by the train drivers’ union Aslef – passed because of affiliate backing, despite organisers indicating that a show of hands in the hall suggested support for a leadership-backed alternative that referred only to a “risk” of genocide.
The union-backed motion urged the Labour government to “employ all means reasonably available to it to prevent the commission of genocide in Gaza” and “fully suspend the arms trade with Israel and the UK-Israel trade and partnership agreement”.
The separate leadership-backed emergency motion, proposed by Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency Labour party, largely endorsed government policy to date.
Its wording was described as deliberately misleading by those calling for tougher action against Israel. They said the UN report found genocide was happening and that this required meaningful action to end the risk of British complicity.
One union source said that while there had been some “back and forth” about its proposed motion, there was no particular anger and most unions were onboard with the agreed wording.
A Labour source said: “It was a civilised, totally collegiate discussion which included some respectful disagreement.”
It comes after Labour sought to rule out motions on Palestine being debated at the conference, which triggered accusations that the party had tried to stifle debate. About 30 motions about Palestine from local parties had been struck off earlier this month.
Delegates were told the union-backed motion passed because of the sheer weight of its affiliated backing, given 18 constituency Labour parties and affiliates including the TSSA union supported it. The leadership motion failed as a result.
Labour sources said the show of hands indicated the majority of delegates had actually voted in favour of the leadership motion. Some delegates had said they would not be able to back the union motion because it did not acknowledge the actions of Hamas in the conflict.
Activists believe the vote will encourage the government to acknowledge and accept findings of the UN commission of inquiry, which had found “genocide is occurring in Gaza and is continuing to occur”, and apply further sanctions to put pressure on the Israeli government to respect international law.
Ben Jamal, the director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: “This is a huge defeat for the government, with the Labour party finally accepting that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
“If the government tries to ignore this momentous vote, it would not only be in denial of the facts, against public opinion, increasingly globally isolated, but also at war with its own party.”
Christina McAnea, the Unison general secretary, had asked all members to vote for the union-backed motion. She told the conference: “This is genocide. But if we wait for this to be confirmed by a court, it will be too late, because it’s already happening as we sit here.”
The debate erupted into fury as seven delegates not in favour of the motion were selected to speak, prompting activists to accuse Labour of silencing its members.
The union-backed motion also urged the government to “ensure individuals and corporations in the UK are not involved in aiding and assisting the genocide”.
It comes as ministers are looking at a fresh assessment prepared by officials as to whether there is a “serious risk” that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Ministers have asked MPs to not only report on the assessment’s findings but to give an explanation. If it is found that there is “a serious risk of a genocide”, the UK faces obligations as a signatory to the genocide convention to act to protect the Palestinian people.
The assessment, taking in evidence until June, is at least four weeks behind the schedule ministers had set to make evaluations of whether Israel’s conduct means there is a serious risk of genocide.
The findings, once disclosed, are likely to prove controversial since it will either enrage the Israeli government or cause disbelief in large sections of the Labour party membership.
The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has accused Israel of committing genocide, and the charge is now commonplace among leaders in the global south. UK ministers have described what is happening inside Gaza as grotesque but have not said there is even a serious risk of a genocide.
Ministers point out there is a high evidential bar since a genocide requires proof of intent to destroy the Palestinian population in whole or in part.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking to the UN general assembly on Friday, said Israel was not driving Palestinians out of Gaza, and could not therefore be accused of a genocide.
More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since Hamas invaded Israel in October 2023, according to the ministry of health.
The government is required by law to make an assessment of the risk of genocide, owing to its obligations as a signatory to the genocide convention.
Speaking to the business select committee a fortnight ago, Lord Falconer said the government was required to make a series of risk assessments, including one concerning the risk of genocide.
Given the assessments are undertaken at least once every two months, and the latest report includes evidence only until the end of June, the report should have been completed by the end of August.
