How refreshing of Ed to actually take a stand on an important international issue. He has declared himself a proud Zionist, supporter of Israel and opponent of boycotts:

“I take antisemitism very seriously. Any kind of delegitimisation of Israel is something we should call out for what it is and not tolerate it. I think the boycotts of Israel are totally wrong. We should have no tolerance for boycotts. I would say that to any trade union leaders.”

But is he as good as his word? Last year TUC fat cat Brendan Barber blustered: “there are parts of the settlement trade that consumer pressure simply cannot reach, such as the wholesale and catering industries, and that’s why we need a total ban. The TUC does not support a ban against Israel, but we do support a boycott of goods from Israeli settlements”. Unite has passed a motion to boycott Israel, as has Unison. Will Ed stand up to the bigoted union barons or was yesterday’s speech just weasel words?