Revealed: Aide to Shabana Mahmood backed ‘sectarian’ anti-Israel divestment motion

One of the Labour councillors who backed the motion, labelled “divisive” by opponents, is an aide to Shabana Mahmood.

Marcus Bernasconi, who represents North Edgbaston ward on the council, is also employed by Mahmood in her constituency office.

His vote, and those of other Labour councillors in favour of the motion, appear to diverge from the Labour government’s approach to Israel.

The government’s longstanding position has been to refuse to label Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide”, saying that it was a matter for international courts to determine.

Announcing sanctions against West Bank settlements in September, Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, emphasised his opposition to the movement to boycott, divest from and sanction the state of Israel as a whole.

It comes after some of the city’s Labour MPs called on the Liberal Democrats to end their local alliance with the Greens after Zack Polanski’s party voted for the “Zionism is racism” policy. 

MPs Al Carns, Jess Phillips and Preet Gill urged the Lib Dems to end the coalition, saying that the “Zionism is racism” policy echoed “anti-Jewish movements from the Soviet Union, the National Front and terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah”. The added that the policy was “itself racist, discriminatory and extremist.”

Though the Liberal Democrat leader of the council, Roger Harmer, said he disagreed with the Greens’ motion, he rejected the MPs’ demands.

The divestment motion was brought to the council on Tuesday by independent councillor Nosheen Khalid, a cabinet member for health and social care. Her Better Birmingham group, which also voted for the motion, is part of the council’s governing coalition along with the Lib Dems and Greens.

After it passed, cheers and chants of “free Palestine” erupted from the council chamber.

The scenes – and the time devoted to the motion – were condemned by senior Conservative politicians.

Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, shared a video of the chants on social media, along with the caption: “Is this Ramallah? Gaza City?

“No, it's Birmingham. Where bins go uncollected, more than a quarter of the adult population is economically inactive, and the benefits bill is higher than anywhere else in the country.

“I will never tire in fighting this disgusting sectarianism.”

Katie Lam, the shadow communities secretary, added: “People in Birmingham have watched their council go bankrupt, while the bins overflowed for almost two years. And yet the Greens and their Lib Dem enablers are banging on about the Middle East. This kind of sectarian grievance-mongering is completely poisonous.”

Birmingham City Council emerged from bankruptcy earlier this year. However, strike action by bin workers that has been running since March 2025 has yet to be resolved.

The motion was opposed on the night by Conservative councillors. The group leader, Robert Alden, accused the council of “singling out” Israel, a claim they reject.

Former Labour MP and JC director Lord Austin also criticised the vote.

He posted on social media: “Netanyahu just heard about Birmingham City Council’s BDS motion and has ordered all troops to pull out of Gaza and the West Bank. A Palestinian state will be agreed by tea time.”

Ahead of May’s local elections, the JC reported concern about the influence of anti-Israel voices within Birmingham’s local Labour Party, with one party insider saying “conspiratorial” thinking about the Jewish state was widespread.

Before his death at the start of this year from a reported heart attack, Labour councillor Waseem Zaffar – one of the key supporters of a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from visiting the city to see their side’s clash with Aston Villa – was tipped for a leading role in the party despite high profile criticism of his actions.

The JC had also previously reported that Cllr Bushra Bi – who has since defected to the Green Party – was forced to apologise after suggesting that Sir Keir Starmer was biased in favour of Israel because his wife is Jewish.

Commenting on their decision to support the motion, a spokesperson for the Birmingham Labour Group told the JC: “Labour councillors voted for the amended motion, which sets out a wider approach to ethical investment and procurement. It calls for public money to be used consistently with human rights, workers’ protections and environmental responsibility.

“We support the government’s commitment to a two-state solution, with security and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians.”

Yesterday, a council spokesperson told the JC that the motion also “covers conflicts in Ukraine, Congo, United Emirates and Sudan, as well as Israel” and said that it “does not constitute a new council policy, but it is a request of the city council.”

A Liberal Democrat spokesperson told the JC: "Liberal Democrats stand firmly against antisemitism in all its forms. We utterly condemn the Green Party's 'Zionism is Racism' motion, and Ed Davey has ruled out entering into a national partnership with any party that is committed to such a dangerous and antisemitic policy.

"We are committed to a two-state solution that gives both Israelis and Palestinians the lasting peace and security they deserve.

"Liberal Democrat councillors have stepped up to prevent Birmingham sliding into even more chaos, and are focused on fixing local services after years of neglect and failure under Labour.

"We will not let extremists and antisemites tear our communities apart."

Councillor Marcus Bernasconi and the office of Shabana Mahmood have been contacted for comment.