LFPME actively promotes the Palestinian cause for justice within the Labour movement by hosting awareness raising events, preparing briefings, attending conferences and more generally, doing all it can to make its presence felt.

Our work supports and complements the humanitarian effort for Palestine by raising the key issues, detrimental to realisation of peace in the Middle East, at the highest political levels in the UK and Europe.

Labour Party Conference 2010

At the Labour Party Conference in Manchester, LFPME held two fringe events, a reception and an exhibition stall for a day.  

All our events were very well attended and the new leader of the Party, Ed Miliband, spoke at our conference reception, which had over 200 guests. To help promote Palestinian culture, we served Middle Eastern food and Palestinian beer. View our report here.

For our main fringe event, Michael White (Guardian) interviewed Sir Gerald Kaufman MP about his political career and history of engagement on the Middle East.  We also held a joint event with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Unite on the situation in Gaza.  Speakers included Haneen Zuabi, Palestinian member of the Israeli Knessnet, Tony Woodley, General Secretary of Unite, Richard Burden MP,  Andy Slaughter MP and Simon Dubbins (Unite). View our report here.

Since the General Election in May 2010, LFPME has been engaging with new Labour MPs and the latest list of MPs who support our group can be viewed here.

Engaging the Labour Party leadership

During the summer 2010, LFPME took an active role in engaging with the Labour leadership candidates and sought their views on the Middle East. The statements received from the candidates can be viewed here:

Ed Miliband MP

Diane Abbot MP

Ed Balls MP

Andy Burnham MP

David Miliband MP

LFPME submission for Labour Party Manifesto

The LFPME coordinated the submission of suggestions from supporters and different CLPs for the Labour Party General Election manifesto.  The model submission prepared to send to the Labour Party manifesto coordinator can be viewed here.

Conferences 

In 2009, LFPME held its first fringe debate event and reception at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton.  The leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister Gordon Brown MP and Foreign Secretary David Miliband MP attended and made short speeches at the reception event.