Reeves Disrupted by Pro-Palestine Protest in Key Labour Speech

(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves was interrupted by pro-Palestine protesters during her keynote speech on the UK government’s economic plans at the Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool.

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In an echo of 12 months ago, when Keir Starmer was covered in glitter during his leader’s speech to Labour delegates, a man brandishing a banner called for an end to arms sales to Israel loudly interrupted before being wrestled out of the hall by security. There was some further shouting after Reeves resumed.

Labour is still grappling with the political fallout from the Israel-Hamas conflict, which cost the party votes during the July general election amid criticism — especially on the left of politics — that Starmer was not putting the squeeze on Israel to end the war. Now in government, the demands are for the prime minister to order a ban on exporting weapons to the country.

But Starmer has resisted a full ban, arguing that Israel needs the capacity to defend itself. And in her speech on Monday, Reeves adopted a similar line to Starmer when a protester calling for electoral reform interrupted him a year ago.

“This is a changed Labour Party, a Labour Party that represents working people, not a party of protest,” Reeves said.

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Starmer’s government did suspend about 30 of the UK’s 350-odd export licenses to Israel, covering components used in F-16 fighter aircraft, helicopters, drones and naval systems, and items that facilitate ground targeting.

But the decision opened the UK up to criticism both by supporters of Israel, who said Britain is pulling support from a key ally of the West and a bastion of democracy in the Middle East — and by critics of Israel’s military action in Gaza, who said the suspension of about 10% of licenses doesn’t go far enough.

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