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British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has rejected calls to review the ban on Palestine Action, saying the decision was based on evidence and had been subject to parliamentary scrutiny. Speaking on Wednesday, Burnham said he would not comment further while legal proceedings were ongoing.
The issue was raised in the House of Commons by Claire Hanna, a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party. Hanna asked whether the government would review the ban, highlighting the decision to stop selling books by Irish writer Sally Rooney and her publisher in the UK. Burnham stressed that the decision had gone through a rigorous process and been approved by lawmakers, AnewZ reports.
“Legal proceedings on the matter are ongoing, so I will not comment further,” Burnham said.
Burnham also addresses situation in the Middle East
Speaking about the conflict in the Middle East, the prime minister said he shared ministers’ concerns over the grave scenes in Gaza and the West Bank.
He cited measures taken by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband in response to developments threatening the prospects for a two-state solution. “We will not stand by when the prospects of implementing a two-state solution are under threat,” Burnham told lawmakers. He added that Miliband had made another statement on the issue earlier that week.
Ban and rise in arrests
Palestine Action was banned in July 2025, during Keir Starmer’s premiership. It was the first time a direct-action protest group had been proscribed under Britain’s Terrorism Act.
The group says it carries out direct action against companies that supply weapons and equipment to the Israeli military. The government imposed the ban after activists entered RAF Brize Norton airbase and sprayed red paint on two military aircraft. The damage was estimated at $9.3 million.
The ban places Palestine Action in the same legal category as organisations proscribed under anti-terrorism legislation. Membership of, or expressing support for, the group can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years.
The Home Office says terrorism-related arrests have risen sharply since the ban. Police recorded 3,867 such arrests in the year to June 2026, compared with 234 in the previous year, an increase of 1,553%.
Some 3,630 of those arrested, or about 94%, were linked to support for Palestine Action. Many were detained for displaying placards supporting the group at public demonstrations.
Critics say the figures show anti-terrorism laws are increasingly being used against peaceful protesters. The government says its measures target support for a proscribed organisation, not lawful protest.
Sally Rooney’s protest and proceedings at the Supreme Court
Irish writer Sally Rooney, author of the novels “Normal People” and “Conversations with Friends,” is one of the ban’s most prominent critics. After the ban, she pledged to donate proceeds from her books and the BBC television adaptations based on them to Palestine Action, which operates legally in the Republic of Ireland.
Rooney’s publisher, Faber, decided last week to stop selling her books in the UK over concerns about potential legal consequences, ITV News reports. Rooney backed the move, saying that fulfilling her publishing contracts in Britain could put her at serious risk of criminal prosecution. Fearing arrest, she had also cancelled a trip to London in September 2025 to receive an award.
The legal dispute over the ban has reached the UK Supreme Court following a challenge by Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori. The London Court of Appeal upheld the ban in June, ruling it lawful. The Supreme Court agreed in July to hear a further appeal.
The Home Office says the Court of Appeal found evidence that Palestine Action had committed acts of terrorism and encouraged violence.
The dispute over the ban continues. Civil liberties groups warn that thousands of people are being drawn into the criminal justice system for acts of expression. Green Party leader Zack Polanski has called on the government to lift the ban. Supporters of the ban, meanwhile, say attacks on military sites and defence facilities should be treated as serious security threats.
Burnham said the ban would not be reviewed while legal proceedings continued. A future Supreme Court ruling could affect Palestine Action’s legal status in Britain and the outcome of thousands of cases linked to the group.
