LIVERPOOL, September 26 — A silent sign-holding vigil is planned near the Labour Party conference centre in Liverpool on Sunday, 26 September 2026, as Prime Minister Andy Burnham prepares to preside over his first conference as leader. The rally, organised by Defend Our Juries, responds to the proscription of Palestine Action as a ‘terrorist’ group under the UK Terrorism Act in July 2025. Since the ban, over 3,600 people have been arrested for showing support for the group, often while holding signs reading, ‘I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action’. Defend Our Juries describes the protest as an ‘integrity test’ of Burnham’s commitment to ending Britain’s complicity in Israel’s alleged ethnic cleansing and war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. The group urges Burnham to lift the ban on Palestine Action, whose main target is Israel’s largest weapons maker, Elbit Systems, and to suspend all UK arms sales to Israel. Burnham has announced sanctions earlier in September 2026 against illegal Israeli settlements and settler violence in the occupied West Bank, a stance described by Defend Our Juries as stronger than his predecessors. However, rights groups argue that lifting the Palestine Action ban and halting arms exports are necessary steps to align with his stated goals. The Labour Party conference runs from Sunday to Wednesday, 26–29 September 2026. Declassified UK reported it was denied media passes to cover the event. Historical context notes that former Prime Minister Keir Starmer proscribed Palestine Action after the October 2023 Hamas attacks, having previously affirmed Israel’s ‘right’ to cut off Gaza’s water supply before walking back the statement. Under Starmer, the UK banned the group; under Miliband, Labour supported a two-state solution; under Corbyn, the party was led by a lifelong Palestinian rights advocate whose tenure ended amid antisemitism allegations in 2019. Defend Our Juries expects several hundred attendees at the vigil and anticipates further arrests. Joseph Willits of the Council for Arab-British Understanding said Burnham’s sanctions highlight the ‘inadequacies and lack of will’ of the Starmer government, while Colm Murphy of Queen Mary University noted Labour leaders often seek to ‘defang’ the Palestine issue to maintain electoral broad appeal in a first-past-the-post system. Willits added it remains uncertain whether Burnham will reverse the ban, especially given recent U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to outlaw the group, and whether Labour will prioritise this battle amid other political pressures.
Defend Our Juries says the vigil will test whether Burnham’s recent sanctions on settlements translate into broader policy shifts on arms and proscription laws. The group maintains that lifting the ban on Palestine Action is essential for Labour to demonstrate consistency in its criticism of Israeli policies. Organisers say they will monitor Burnham’s response during the conference week for signs of policy change.
Should the ban remain in place, Defend Our Juries indicates it may consider further actions to pressure the Labour leadership. For now, the focus remains on the silent vigil as a direct appeal to the new Labour leader ahead of his first major party gathering.
