Andrew George MP and other delegates in the West Bank, April 2025.

An Early Day Motion was tabled for discussion in the House of Commons late last month on the subject of Palestine action and the misuse of counter-terror legislation. Amongst the 17 signatures – at time of writing – is Andrew George, MP for St. Ives, who signed the motion on the 4th of November.

An ardent and long-term supporter of Palestinian emancipation, George has routinely spoken out on the ongoing genocide in Gaza. He was also part of a delegation, including Shockat Adam MP, to the West Bank in April, in order to get a “closer view” of the situation about which he is so outspoken. On this trip he and other delegates were reportedly held at gun point by Israeli settlers, and questioned for 45 mins by Israeli border officials.

The motion comes 4 months after MPs voted to proscribe the group, as well as regular demonstrations in which thousands have defied the ban and faced arrest under Section 12/13 of the 2000 Terrorism Act. The group was proscribed after direct action was taken at RAF Brize Norton, in which 2 jets, one of which was leased to the Royal Air Force by AirTanker Services, were sprayed with red paint, causing an alleged 7 million pounds worth of damage.

3 out of the 6 MPs for Cornish constituencies voted to proscribe the group, with Andrew George being the only MP to vote against. George did vote in favour of proscription for the other two lesser-known groups: Maniac Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement, both of whom are on the far-right.

Other supporters of the motion include long-time Palestine supporters John McDonnell, Apsana Begum, and Jeremy Corbyn. Early Day Motions are rarely discussed in the House of Commons, however and are primarily used to draw publicity to an issue and to gather consensus amongst MPs.

Image via: Instagram Andrew George.