Quarter of UK MPs received funding from pro-Israel lobby, Declassified investigation reveals
InternationalNews.uk
An exclusive investigation by Declassified UK has revealed that nearly a quarter of British Members of Parliament have accepted funding from pro-Israel lobby groups or affiliated individuals during their political careers.
The report names 180 out of 650 MPs in the previous Parliament—130 Conservatives, 41 Labour, 3 Liberal Democrats, along with representatives from the DUP, Reform Party, and two independents—as recipients of such funding. Collectively, these donations and sponsored trips amount to more than £1 million.
Travel Funded by Pro-Israel Groups
MPs reportedly took over 240 subsidised trips to Israel, with expenses exceeding £500,000. While some of these visits included briefings in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the majority were organized or co-sponsored by organizations identified with the pro-Israel lobby. A small number involved groups not directly affiliated with the lobby.
Fifteen MPs accepted funding for travel to Israel during the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which many international observers and human rights groups have characterized as genocide.
“Accepting funding from a lobby group on behalf of the perpetrators of a genocide should immediately bar anyone from standing as an MP,” said Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, a UK-based direct action group. “That our politicians continue to engage with the genocide lobby explains the government’s defiance of international law and continued support for Israel’s war crimes.”
Major Lobby Groups: Conservative and Labour Friends of Israel
The investigation highlights Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) and Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) as major influencers within Parliament. CFI claims approximately 80% of Conservative MPs as members. Since 2010, it has funded over 160 trips to Israel for 118 sitting Tory MPs, with a combined value of £330,000.
Though CFI does not disclose its funding sources, it reportedly maintains close access to UK government officials and facilitates private briefings for ministers.
On the Labour side, LFI—despite recently removing its list of parliamentary supporters from its website—is said to count around 75 MPs among its ranks. It has funded trips for 32 Labour MPs, contributing over £64,000. In Al Jazeera’s 2017 documentary The Lobby, an LFI officer acknowledged the group’s close ties to the Israeli embassy.
“We do work really closely together,” LFI’s Michael Rubin was recorded saying. “Publicly we just try to keep LFI as a separate identity to the [Israeli] embassy.”
Individual Donors and Political Influence
Some MPs have received direct financial contributions from individuals closely tied to pro-Israel groups. Among the most notable is Trevor Chinn, a veteran lobbyist and financier who donated to eight members of Labour leader Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet, including Angela Rayner, David Lammy, and Rachel Reeves. Chinn’s £50,000 donationto Starmer’s leadership campaign was not disclosed until after the vote.
Other major donors include former BICOM director David Menton, Red Capital owner and ex-LFI chair Jonathan Mendelsohn, and prominent Conservative Party donors Trevor Pears, Michael Lewis, David Meller, and the late Lord Kalms.
A Cross-Party Divide
According to the investigation, no MPs from Scottish National Party (SNP), Plaid Cymru, Sinn Féin, SDLP, Green Party, Alba, Alliance, or Workers Party received funding or hospitality from pro-Israel lobby groups.
Transparency and Public Trust
Critics argue the donations raise serious concerns about lobbying, transparency, and foreign influence on British politics—particularly during a period of heightened scrutiny over UK arms sales to Israel.
“Whether these sizable donations indicate the lobby’s influence or simply reflect MPs’ pro-Israel positions, the lack of transparency is troubling,” said Hil Aked, author of Friends of Israel: The Backlash Against Palestine Solidarity. “These relationships show how deeply embedded pro-Israel interests are within British politics, even as Israel stands accused of committing war crimes in Gaza.”
The full list of MPs who received donations or hospitality is available at the bottom of the original Declassified article.