Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2026 to Question 20481 on Local Government: Workplace Pensions, and with reference to the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs' Oral Statement of 8 September 2026 on Israel and Palestine, Official Report, column 879-884, what plans her Department has to allow councils, and local government pension schemes and pools to divest in firms based in the occupied territories in relation to the provision of (a) goods and (b) services; and what steps are being taken to prevent municipal policies being adopted which seek to divest or boycott (i) Israel as a whole and (ii) kosher foods.

UK foreign policy is a matter for the national government and not for local government. The Department published updated statutory guidance on local government pension scheme (LGPS) investment strategy statements on 29th June 2026, which can be found here.

Administering authorities of LGPS funds are responsible for setting their investment strategy statement, which must include their approach to responsible investment. As statutory guidance set out, "strategies should not set exclusions for investments in individual countries, investment styles or companies". Asset pools are responsible for delivering the high-level investment strategies set by their partner funds.