Inside the Tories’ pro-Palestine minority
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says her party is the Jewish state’s “last line of defence” in British politics. Her record matches the rhetoric. Badenoch has supported a moratorium on pro-Palestine marches, backed Israel’s decision to bar two Labour MPs and condemned the UK’s recognition of Palestine as “disastrous”. Backing Israel is not inherent to Conservative ideology. Last year, thirteen Tory parliamentarians signed an open letter calling for immediate recognition of Palestine While Labour’s handling of the Gaza war fuelled internal divisions and a collapse in support, Badenoch has been able to rely on a comparatively pro-Israel electoral base.
