MORE than 150 London politicians called on the city councils’ pooled pension fund to divest from companies linked with Israeli abuses against Palestinians today.

The London Collective Investment Vehicle (CIV) currently invests £7 billion of its £34bn portfolio in companies complicit in Israel’s crimes, including nearly £1bn in arms manufacturers, a spokeswoman for Shake the CIV coalition group said.

A letter signed by 154 councillors and London Assembly members called on the CIV to create investment options excluding “all companies enabling Israel’s grave violations of international law” and to set a timeline for divesting all offerings from such firms. 

A cross-party group of signatories handed in the open letter at London CIV offices today. 

The letter — co-ordinated by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Shake the CIV — comes amid the national Vote Palestine campaign to put Palestinian rights on the ballot at the May local elections.

There were 64 signatories from Labour, including London Assembly member Elly Baker, Islington Council deputy leader Santiago Bell-Bradford, and Wandsworth council cabinet member Aydin Dikerdem. 

Thirty-nine Green figures, including party leader Zack Polanski, councillor and Hackney mayoral candidate Zoe Garbett, and Caroline Russell, seven Lib Dems and 29 independents are also among the signatories.

“We launched this campaign because Londoners are fed up of councils refusing to hold the CIV accountable on divestment from Israel’s genocide of Palestinians,” Shake the CIV spokesperson Milly Oldfield said. 

Ms Garbett said: “Londoners do not want their pensions invested in companies linked to war crimes, apartheid, and genocide.

“The London CIV should listen to the people it ultimately serves and move toward divestment from companies complicit in Israel’s crimes and human rights abuses globally.”

Cllr Dikerdem said: “Right now, companies that are directly complicit in violations of international law — be it through illegal occupation, apartheid, or the genocide in Gaza — could end up in the CIV’s pooled pension funds. 

“Divesting from these complicit companies would give confidence to council workers and pension scheme members that their pensions are not funding human rights abuses or genocide.”

Since July 2024, eight London councils, including Wandsworth, Islington, and Southwark, have passed a motion or issued a statement in support of divesting their pension funds from companies involved in Israel’s crimes.

The CIV was contacted for comment.