Dear London CIV
As councillors and assembly members in London, we ask that London CIV ensures that its investments are not contributing to Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians. As an urgent step, we are calling on London CIV to ensure that:
- Pillar 3 of its responsible investment matrix excludes all companies enabling Israel’s grave violations of international law, by using the UN OHCHR’s list, the AFSC Investigate Divestment List and WhoProfits’ corporate database as a basis for exclusions.
- A timeline is set for the exclusion of all such companies across all of London CIV’s investment funds – financial complicity in human rights abuses should not be an option.
We have witnessed a groundswell of support among both scheme members and residents for aligning our councils pension fund investments with our responsibilities not to enable Israel’s grave violations of international law. Eight councils in London have now passed a motion or issued a statement to support ending investments in companies involved in Israel’s crimes against Palestinians. As Israel continues its genocide in Gaza, and escalates its military assaults, land grabs and ethnic cleansing across Palestine, it is crucial that these calls are heeded, and that divestment from companies enabling grave human rights abuses is implemented.
The UK government has set a firm deadline of 31 March 2026 for Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Administering Authorities to pool 100% of their assets. In this moment of transition, it is welcome that London CIV is in the process of creating a new responsible investment matrix that will allow partner pension funds to choose investments that exclude companies contributing to human rights abuses and environmental destruction. However, limiting exclusions to only a subset of companies that engage in Israel’s crimes, such as those on the UN OHCHR’s Database of Business Enterprises Pursuant to Human Rights Council Resolutions 31/36 and 53/25 would be inadequate. The UN OHCHR’s report itself acknowledges that it “does not cover all business activities related to the settlements, nor does it extend to other business activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory that may raise human rights concerns.”
Companies supplying Israel with weapons and military technology used in its genocide in Gaza fall outside of its scope. For example, Lockheed Martin, the primary producer of Israel’s F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, is not included. Given this, the exclusion criteria developed for London CIV’s Responsible Investment Matrix must include companies identified by research conducted by credible human rights organisations as contributing to Israel’s grave violations of international law, including the AFSC Investigate divestment list, and the WhoProfits Corporate database. London CIV has itself used these sources since 2021 to assess exposure to companies involved in violations of international law in Palestine, calling them “the most politically balanced and thorough sources of information that we can access” as recently as June 2025.
Furthermore, it is concerning that – though there has been limited transparency about the details of these plans – reports suggest that this matrix will cover London CIV’s existing public market funds, but may not apply to London CIV’s very substantial passive equity funds held through asset managers. Administering Authorities must be given the option to remove all investments from companies with sustained involvement in Israel’s crimes against Palestinians. In addition, transparent communication and meaningful consultation with Administering Authorities must take place before the matrix is finalised, to enable democratic accountability.
Ensuring that London CIV’s investments are not contributing to Israel’s genocide, military occupation and apartheid must be an urgent priority, in line with Pension Funds’ responsibilities not to contribute to grave violations of international law.
Signed:
London Assembly Members:
Elly Baker, Labour Party
Zoë Garbett, Green Party
Zack Polanski, Green Party
Caroline Russell, Green Party
Councillors:
Martin Abrams, Lambeth, Green Party
Mona Adam, Kensington and Chelsea, Green Party
Soraya Adejare, Hackney, Labour Party
Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam, Brent Green Party
Abul Monsur Ohid Ahmed, Tower Hamlets Independent
Leelu Ahmed, Tower Hamlets, Labour Party
Faroque Ahmed, Tower Hamlets Labour Party
Mustak Ahmed, Tower Hamlets, Aspire
Saied Ahmed, Tower Hamlets, Aspire
Kabir Ahmed, Tower Hamlets, Aspire
Leelu Ahmed, Tower Hamlets, Labour
Scott Ainslie, Lambeth, Green Party
Sabina Akhter, Tower Hamlets, Aspire
Kemi Akinola, Wandsworth, Labour Party
Munsur Ali, City of London, Independent
Zulfiqar Ali, Newham, Labour Party
Majella Anning, Greenwich, Independent
Susan Ansari, Kingston upon Thames, Liberal Democrat
Tauseef Anwar, Lewisham, Labour Party
Sara Apps, Wandsworth, Labour Party
Noor Jahan Begum, Redbridge, Ilford Independents
Liza Begum, Westminster, Labour Party
Asma Begum, Tower Hamlets, Labour Party
Santiago Bell-Bradford, Islington, Labour Party
Tony Belton, Wandsworth, Labour Party
Richard Bennett, Richmond upon Thames, Green Party
Rachel Bentley, Southwark, Liberal Democrat
Nathalie Bienfait, Tower Hamlets, Green Party
Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, Hackney, Green Party
Mark Blake, Haringey, Green Party
Bill Brown, Lewisham, Labour Party
Natasha Burgess, Lewisham, Labour Party
Jonathan Cardy, Richmond upon Thames, Liberal Democrat
Maggie Carman, Westminster, Labour Party
Jumbo Chan, Brent, Labour Party
Jamal Chohan, Kingston upon Thames, Independent
Faruk Choudhury, Barking and Dagenham, Green Party
Bodrul Choudhury, Tower Hamlets, Aspire
Gulam Choudhury, Tower Hamlets, Aspire
Areeq Chowdhury, Newham, Green Party
Mohammad Chowdhury, Tower Hamlets, Labour Party
Abu Talha Chowdhury, Tower Hamlets, Aspire
Ilkay Cinko-Oner, Islington, Independent
Jamie Colclough, Wandsworth, Labour Party
Tom Connor, Waltham Forest, Independent
John Coombs, Richmond upon Thames, Liberal Democrat
Carolyn Corben, Newham, Labour Party
Anne Corbett, City of London, Labour Party
Ann-Marie Cousins, Greenwich, Independent
Niki Crookdake, Richmond upon Thames, Green Party
Liam Curran, Lewisham, Labour Party
Jackie Davies, Kingston upon Thames, Liberal Democrat
Liam Davis, Hackney, Green Party
Mariam Dawood, Newham, Labour Party
Anna Day, Bexley, Labour Party
Theo Dennison, Hounslow, Independent
Emma Dent Coad, Kensington and Chelsea, Independent
Aydin Dikerdem, Wandsworth, Labour Party
Paul Donovan, Redbridge, Labour Party
Rhiannon Eglin, Waltham Forest, Independent
Tony Ethapemi, Brent, Green Party
John Fahy, Greenwich, Labour Party
Harbi Farah, Brent, Green Party
Larry Ferguson, Bexley, Labour Party
Janet Gardner, Hillingdon, Independent
Judi Gasser, Wandsworth, Labour Party
Erica Gbajumo, Brent, Green Party
James Giles, Kingston upon Thames, Independent
Mick Gilgunn, Islington, Labour Party
Rosa Gomez, Redbridge, Independent
Phil Graham, Islington, Independent
Nicole Griffiths, Lambeth, Green Party
Zuber Gulamussen, Newham, Independent
Mercy Haggerty, City of London, Labour Party
Benali Hamdache, Islington, Green Party
Billy Harding, Lewisham, Labour Party
Sara Hassan, Westminster, Labour Party
Josephine Hayes, City of London, Independent
Graeme Henderson, Wandsworth, Labour Party
Nate Higgins, Newham, Green Party
Iqbal Hossain, Tower Hamlets, Aspire
Shubo Hussain, Tower Hamlets, Labour Party
Kamrul Hussain, Tower Hamlets, Aspire
Mohammad Islam, Enfield, Independent
Nazrul Islam, Newham, Newham Independents
Sirajul Islam, Tower Hamlets, Labour Party
Asma Islam, Tower Hamlets, Labour Party
Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong, Islington, Green Party
Liz Johnston-Franklin, Lewisham, Labour Party
Alan Juriansz, Richmond upon Thames, Liberal Democrat
Sabia Kamali, Newham, Labour Party
Danny Keeling, Newham, Green Party
Sadiq Kothia, Redbridge, Labour Party
Kamala Kugan, Kingston upon Thames, Green Party
Guy Lambert, Hounslow, Green Party
Lucy Lee, Barking and Dagenham, Labour Party
Maria Linforth-Hall, Southwark, Liberal Democrat
Kabir Mahmud, Redbridge, Independent
Aisha Malik-Smith Lewisham Labour Party
Abdul Mannan, Tower Hamlets, Aspire
Susan Masters, Newham, Labour Party
Patricia Mcallister, Westminster, Labour Party
James McAsh, Southwark, Green Party
Ruth McGregor, Bromley, Labour Party
Maurice Mcleod, Wandsworth, Labour Party
Ana Miah, Tower Hamlets, Aspire
Mehmood Mirza, Newham, Independent
Mary Mitchell, Brent, Green Party
Sophia Naqvi, Newham, Newham Independents
Jon Narcross, Hackney, Labour Party
Matt Nathan, Islington, Independent
Margy Newens, Southwark, Labour Party
Gulcin Ozdemir, Islington, Labour Party
Mcan Ozsen, Hackney, Independent
Saiqa Pandor, Islington, Labour Party
Ria Patel, Croydon, Green Party
Ruairidh Paton, Haringey, Green Party
Stephen Penfold, Lewisham, Labour Party
Reginald Popoola, Southwark, Green Party
Fliss Premru, Hackney, Independent
Moin Quadri, Barking and Dagenham, Green Party
Amin Rahman, Tower Hamlets, Aspire
Lutfur Rahman, Tower Hamlets, Aspire
Tamasin Rhymes, Greenwich, Green Party
Lorna Jane Russell, Camden, Green Party
Caroline Russell, Islington, Green Party
Ali Henry Sadek, Hackney, Labour Party
Michelline Safi-Ngongo, Islington, Labour Party
Lakshan Saldin, Greenwich, Green Party
Ifraax Samatar, Hackney, Labour Party
Rudi Schmidt, Lewisham, Labour Party
Asima Shaikh, Islington, Independent
Liam Shrivastava, Lewisham, Green Party
Luke Sorba, Lewisham, Labour Party
Rebaka Sultana, Tower, Hamlets Labour Party
Mohammed Maium miah talukdar, Tower Hamlets, Aspire
Hau-Yu Tam, Lewisham, Green Party
Nicola Taylor, Bexley, Labour Party
Dave Tchil, Sutton, Labour Party
Ryan Thomson, Bromley, Labour Party
Matthew Tiller, Wandsworth, Labour Party
Yvonne Tracey, Kingston upon Thames, Independent
Claudia Turbet-Delof, Hackney, Hackney Independent Socialist Collective
Abdal Ullah, Tower Hamlets, Labour Party
Paul Valentine, Lambeth, Green Party
Sheldon Vestey, Sutton, Labour Party
Sue Vincent, Camden, Labour Party
Abdul Wahid, Tower Hamlets, Aspire
Chas Warlow, Richmond upon Thames, Green Party
Paul White, Wandsworth, Labour Party
Alexandra Worrell, Haringey, Independent
Caroline Wren, Richmond upon Thames, Green Party
Penny Wrout, Hackney, Hackney Independent Socialist Collective
Jenny Yates, Wandsworth, Labour Party