E-petition debate relating to pro-Israel influence on UK politics and democracy

There will be a Westminster Hall debate on 22 June 2026 at 4.30pm on an e-petition related to pro-Israel influence on UK politics and democracy. The debate will be opened by John Lamont MP on behalf of the Petitions Committee.

The Jewish Leadership Council asked the Petitions Committee to reject the petition on the grounds that it was defamatory and contained false or unproven statements, which would be against the committee’s rules for petitions. It also said the petition drew on antisemitic tropes.

The chair of the Petitions Committee replied that the committee judged the petition had met its formal standards and that the Committee does not consider the merits of what petitions ask for when deciding whether to accept them or schedule debates on them.

Text of the e-petition

E-petition 752646 states that:

We are concerned about reported Israeli state-linked and pro-Israel lobbying activity in UK politics. We believe it is important to determine the scope and impact of any such influence campaigns.

We feel that the horrific devastation in Gaza, the ongoing suppression of Palestinians in the West Bank, and the UK’s political response underline the urgent need to scrutinise how pro-Israel organisations, networks, and lobbying efforts may shape government decisions, party policy, and public debate.

The petition is open until the 28 July 2026. At the time of writing, the petition had 117,968 signatures. If a petition gets 10,000 signatures, the government will respond to it. If a petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

Government response

The government’s response to this petition was published on 17 April 2026. It said it would not support an inquiry specifically on pro-Israel influence on UK politics. However, it said it was concerned about foreign influence in general and that it had initiated reviews of lobbying and foreign influence from the Ethics and Integrity Commission and Sir Philip Rycroft:

The Government does not support a public inquiry on pro-Israeli influence, and does not have plans to hold an inquiry on wider foreign influence and lobbying more generally. However, the Government takes concerns about foreign influence in politics and democracy seriously, and is already taking action to address this.

There is an existing framework for transparency around lobbying of the UK Government and Parliament which includes quarterly government transparency publications of ministers’ and senior officials’ external meetings, a statutory register for consultant lobbyists, and Parliament’s Codes of Conduct which set rules on lobbying and the registration of interests by members of each House. As part of open governance, ministers meet many people and organisations and consider a wide range of views as part of the formulation of government policy.

Going further, the Prime Minister has asked the Ethics and Integrity Commission to carry out a review into lobbying, disclosure and access to government. This includes looking at whether the current arrangements for transparency around lobbying are sufficient. [Ethics and Integrity Commission, Lobbying, Disclosure and Access to Government landing page]. In Parliament, the Government has asked the Lords Conduct Committee to expand its work reviewing the code of conduct to consider whether the rules relating to peers and lobbying need to be reformed.

Most recently, in December 2025, the Government announced an independent review into foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics led by Philip Rycroft. The review focused on foreign financial influence and interference in the UK’s political and electoral systems from a range of sources, building on the major reforms set out in the Elections Strategy announced in July 2025. The review’s findings were published on 25 March 2026. [The Rycroft Review: Report of the independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics]

The Government responded immediately to the review with two measures via amendments to the Representation of the People Bill. Subject to parliamentary approval, these changes are an annual £100,000 cap on total political donations and regulated transactions made by British citizens living abroad, and a moratorium on political donations made using cryptocurrency of any amount. These measures build upon existing measures in the Bill to introduce tougher rules on political interference in the UK’s elections. The Government will consider all of the other recommendations of the Rycroft review and respond to them in due course.

Correspondence between the Jewish Leadership Council and the Petitions Committee

On 11 February 2026, the Jewish Leadership Council, a charity representing UK Jewish organisations, wrote to the Petitions Committee (PDF). The letter said:

I am writing to request that the petition entitled “Call a public inquiry into pro-Israel influence on politics & democracy” be rejected on the grounds that it is defamatory, contains false or unproven statements, and draws upon conspiratorial tropes that are widely recognised as antisemitic…

On 3 March 2026, the Chair of the Petitions Committee responded to the Jewish Leadership Council (PDF). The letter stated:

…Prior to opening e-petition 752646, petitions calling for public inquiries were opened relating to Russia (744215) and China (751800). No assessment is made of the merits of petition asks and petitions are only rejected where there is judged to be an unequivocal contravention of the petitioning standards.

It is for these reasons that it was judged that the ask and text of the petition complied with the standards and recent precedent. Once petitions have been published, we do not accept requests to remove them such as the request set out in your correspondence…

The Standards for Petitions (referred to as the “petitioning standards”) are used by the Petitions Committee to decide how to respond to or treat petitions. One of the grounds for rejecting a petition is that it is “defamatory or libellous, or contains false or unproven statements”, which is the ground the Jewish Leadership Council said this petition should have been rejected on.

On the 1 June 2026, the Jewish Leadership Council wrote back to the Petitions Committee (PDF). The letter said:

…I was disappointed by your decision not to reject this petition or the basis that that it is defamatory, contains false or unproven statements, and draws upon conspiratorial antisemitic tropes.

Since your response, the context has changed significantly. Following an antisemitic terror attack in Golders Green which left two Jewish men hospitalised, and amid a spate of arson attacks against the Jewish community, the Prime Minister hosted a summit in Downing Street with senior government ministers and civil society leaders to discuss this crisis. In the King’s Speech, His Majesty the King reiterated the government’s commitment to “take urgent action to tackle antisemitism”.

This petition demonstrates precisely why that commitment is so necessary, and the Committee’s decision to schedule a debate on it is completely irresponsible.

E-petition 752646 alleges the existence of “Israeli state-linked” and “pro-Israel” influence campaigns shaping government decision-making, party policy and public debate, yet provides no credible evidence to substantiate these claims. As drafted, it invites suspicion of covert or improper activity by unnamed organisations…

The Chair of the Petitions Committee responded on 16 June 2026 (PDF). The letter said:

…The Committee is fully aware of the change in context that you note. The escalating violence towards our Jewish communities is alarming. My Committee hears regularly from petitioners about the further action they would like the Government to take to support and protect Jewish people in this country. I am proud that my Committee and the e-petitioning system continue to provide a mechanism for the public to hold the Government to account on its commitment to tackle antisemitism and for Jewish people to have their voices heard.

Our letter to you, dated 3 March 2026, set out the reasons why petition 752646 was published. As I said in that letter, no assessment is made of the merits of a petition’s ask when it is checked against the petitioning standards. Similarly, no assessment is made of the merits of a petition when the Committee considers whether to schedule it for a debate. The petition expresses the views and concerns of the petitioners, and Members from across the House will have an opportunity to share their views on the ask of the petition in the debate.

I am glad that John Lamont MP, who will open the debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee, has met with you to discuss your views on the petition and the debate. I trust that John will give voice to your concerns in the debate.