UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI)  has written to the Electoral Commission raising serious concerns about a number of candidates who stood in the May 2026 local government elections and who allegedly published material that may amount to unlawful incitement to racial hatred.

In a letter sent on 14 May 2026, UKLFI argued that several candidates — including some who were subsequently elected to public office — published threatening, abusive or insulting material targeting Jews or Israelis, contrary to the Public Order Act 1986 and inconsistent with the Electoral Commission’s own campaign conduct guidance.

The letter identifies a number of candidates from different political parties and independent campaigns who allegedly shared antisemitic conspiracy theories, glorified terrorism, justified violence against Israelis or Jews, or used inflammatory and dehumanising language.

UKLFI noted that section 19 of the Public Order Act 1986 makes it a criminal offence to publish or distribute threatening, abusive or insulting material intended or likely to stir up racial hatred. UKLFI pointed out that many of the statements cited in the letter went far beyond legitimate political criticism of Israel and instead targeted Jewish people as an ethnic and/or religious group.

Among the examples highlighted were references to “the Jews” controlling governments, accusations that Jews were responsible for disease or social unrest, praise for Hamas following the 7 October 2023 massacre in Israel, Holocaust denial, and chants or slogans advocating violence against Israelis.

UKLFI also pointed to the Electoral Commission’s “Guidance for Candidates and Agents at local government elections in England”, which stresses that voters should be able to trust candidates to comply with the law and specifically identifies racial hatred offences as conduct campaigners should avoid.

UKLFI also referred to the Electoral Commission’s recently introduced “Principles for campaigning respectfully and safely”, which call on campaigners to avoid hate speech, inflammatory language, intimidation, harassment and misinformation.

A spokesperson for UKLFI said:

“Democratic debate must never become a cover for racism, intimidation or the glorification of terrorism. Candidates for public office have a duty to uphold the law and conduct themselves in a manner that promotes respect, safety and public confidence in the democratic process. We are asking the Electoral Commission to take these concerns seriously and to ensure that clear standards are enforced for all election campaigners.”

Given what UKLFI described as the potentially criminal nature of some of the conduct identified, the organisation invited the Electoral Commission to clarify what steps it intends to take within its statutory remit, including whether further guidance, regulatory recommendations or public clarification may be necessary to safeguard public confidence in the electoral process and ensure that campaigning is conducted consistently with principles of equality, non-discrimination and compliance with the law.

UKLFI also noted that the Electoral Commission has stated it will review how the new Campaigning Principles operated during the May elections and develop a fuller code of conduct for campaigners in future. UKLFI therefore requested that the material enclosed with its letter be taken into account as part of that review process, particularly regarding the need for clearer standards addressing racist and discriminatory conduct in election campaigning.

UKLFI warned that local elections were increasingly becoming platforms for divisive international political disputes rather than debates about local governance and services. The letter explained that this trend risked undermining democratic accountability and deepening social divisions within communities.