One in two Britons back Israeli settlement trade ban - regardless of who they vote for

One in two Britons backs a ban on trade with Israeli West Bank settlements, polling suggests.

A survey carried out by YouGov pollsters showed 50% favoured the measure.

Only a minority (16%) of the 6,142 people surveyed on Wednesday opposed an embargo, while 34% did not know.

While backing for a ban was strongest among Labour, Lib Dem and Green voters, the policy had cross-party support. The majority of surveyed Conservative and Reform voters said they "strongly support" a prohibition.

About a third of the governing Labour party MPs (140) in June had signed a letter calling for an Israeli settlement trade ban.

The government confirmed in July it was working towards a ban on imports and exports to illegal Israeli settlements.

Both services and goods will be prohibited from flowing to and from the outposts, the trade minister at the time, Sir Chris Bryant, told MPs of the Business and Trade Committee.

The policy will be announced in September, according to reporting in The Times and Middle East Eye.

How would it work?

Exactly how a ban is implemented is unclear but the current sanctions regime could be used, Sir Chris told the committee last month.

Another difficulty arises from identifying where goods come from.

"We all know perfectly well that it's very difficult to enforce [customs rules] because [Palestinian] territories and the settlement areas and, and the rest of Israel... goods travel in and out very easily, both heavy machinery and foodstuffs and so on," Sir Chris said.

Also considered by the UK government, though ultimately rejected, was pausing its trade agreement with Israel.

The Department for Business and Trade undertook an impact assessment on suspending the UK-Israel Trade Partnership Agreement, the 2019 post-Brexit continuity arrangement through which Israeli imports mostly enter the UK tariff-free.

Attempts to access the impact assessment have been denied by the department, in part, on international relations grounds.

"Disclosing the information would be likely to prejudice the UK's relationship with Israel," the department told Sky News.

What are settlements?

Israeli settlements, in areas like the West Bank, have long been opposed by the UK government, which believes them to be a breach of international law and a threat to a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.

Settlements have rapidly expanded in recent years, with more planned by the Israeli government.

Palestinians face increasing attacks and, in the past weeks, have had homes besieged.

Creating settlements can involve confiscating land and displacing Palestinians, which is illegal under the Geneva Convention, as is the moving of Israeli civilians into territory Israel occupies.

Israel disputes this, saying it cannot be classed as an occupying power, as no country owned the land before it took the territory in 1967, and it has not transferred its population to the territories; people move freely.

(c) Sky News 2026: One in two Britons back Israeli settlement trade ban - regardless of who they vote for