UK doctors reject IHRA definition and back protections for staff speaking on Palestine
NHS staff blockade the entrance to NHS England’s headquarters in central London, April 2024
Areeb Ullah reports in Middle East Eye on 25 June 2026:
The British Medical Association (BMA) has voted to drop the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, saying it had a “chilling effect” on free speech in the workplace.
Doctors from across Britain backed the motion at the BMA’s annual conference on Tuesday, amid growing concerns that healthcare workers are being punished for expressing views on international conflicts.
The motion called on the doctors’ union to “provide urgent guidance and support to members who face disciplinary action or professional detriment for expressing legitimate political views or ethical concerns about international conflicts, including Palestine/Israel”.
The text also urged NHS England and NHS organisations to conduct “comprehensive risk assessments” before implementing policies that could affect employees’ freedom of expression.
NHS England formally adopted the IHRA definition in October 2025, a move that was welcomed by some Jewish organisations but criticised by civil liberty groups and pro-Palestine campaigners.
Last week, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) endorsed a review into anti-Jewish hate and other forms of racism in the NHS by the UK government’s advisor on antisemitism, Lord John Mann. The review recommends mandatory antisemitism training for 1.5 million NHS staff members, as well as banning them from displaying political symbols in the workplace and preventing them from attending protests in their uniforms.
Mann’s review of antisemitism relies on the IHRA definition of antisemitism.