Boycott ban

The Tories plan to prevent councils – and possibly student unions – democratically boycotting human rights abusers.

Any bodies that receive the bulk of their funding from the government will be subject to the ban. They will not be allowed to have policy refusing to procure goods and services from ‘unethical’ suppliers.

This could include pension funds which invest in armaments and tobacco, or goods from Israeli-occupied territory in the West Bank. Ministers said there will be “severe penalties” for ordering boycotts.

The Socialist supports the right of democratic organisations to decide who and who not to buy from. Institutional boycotts, carefully applied, can play a useful secondary role in supporting some industrial and political struggles.