V-POL Audit: Morrisons

Corporate Communications & Public Stance

Morrisons has not issued any identified public corporate statement on the Israel-Gaza conflict since October 2023 or at any subsequent point[^No source]. Morrisons has not issued any identified public corporate statement on the International Court of Justice advisory opinion (July 2024) or the ICC arrest warrants (November 2024)[^No source]. Morrisons’ corporate communications archive contains no identified statements contrasting its posture on Israel-Palestine with statements on other geopolitical crises such as Ukraine, COVID-19, or Black Lives Matter[^No source].

Morrisons’ Modern Slavery Statement and Ethical Trading Policy (2025) do not contain any reference to Israeli settlements, occupied territories, or Israel-Palestine in supply chain due diligence language¹. Morrisons frames its regional sourcing as standard commercial procurement with no identified geopolitical policy language in public disclosures¹.

No Morrisons corporate statements on Gaza have been found across the search period of 2021 to 2025[^No source]. Morrisons has not issued public statements on the conflict comparable to statements issued by other UK retailers on Ukraine or other global crises[^No source].

The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Fair Play Campaign Group organised a “buycott” of Israeli products at Morrisons and Waitrose stores in response to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s boycott campaign².

Operations in Occupied or Contested Territories

Morrisons has sourced and sold agricultural products including Medjoul dates from Israeli settlements in the West Bank³. In 2013, Corporate Watch documented Morrisons own-brand Medjoul dates originating from the Tomer settlement in the Jordan Valley, labelled as “Product of Israel”³.

Morrisons sells Medjoul dates sourced from Israel, listed alongside Marks & Spencer, Tesco, and Ocado in Ethical Consumer research published in December 2025 and January 2026⁴.

Morrisons was identified in Don’t Buy Into Occupation, published by PAX, as a target supermarket complicit in settlement trade⁵.

Morrisons sources from Mehadrin, an Israeli agricultural exporter that operates in West Bank settlements including the Jordan Valley and supplies dates, avocados, and citrus to UK supermarkets including Morrisons⁶.

Morrisons sources from Hadiklaim, an Israeli date growers’ cooperative with packing houses in West Bank settlements including Beit Ha’Arava, Tomer, Gilgal, Yafit, Avnat, and Almog⁷. Hadiklaim receives Israeli government indemnification for exports from “Judea and Samaria”⁷.

No evidence identified that Morrisons maintains any direct owned operations, stores, or subsidiaries in occupied or contested territories[^No source].

Morrisons was named in a formal legal notice issued by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) on 30 October 2024, alongside seven other UK supermarkets including Asda, Lidl GB, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose, demanding clarification on the sale of settlement goods⁸.

The ICJP notice specifically identified Mehadrin, Miriam, Shoham, Galilee, Hadiklaim, and Achdut-Achva as companies exporting illegal settlement goods including dates, mangos, avocados, tahini, halva, and bakery products from West Bank settlements to the UK, and named Morrisons as a recipient⁸.

The ICJP notice warned Morrisons directors of potential individual liability under Section 52 of the International Criminal Court Act 2001 and Sections 328 and 329 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002⁸.

ICJP wrote to DEFRA Secretary of State Steve Reed MP on 13 December 2024 calling on the UK government to review supermarkets’ complicity in illegal settlement trade⁹.

Morrisons has not publicly responded to the October 2024 ICJP notice; no corporate statement or procurement policy change has been identified⁸¹⁰.

Morrisons is not listed in the UN OHCHR database of business enterprises involved in settlement activities (September 2025 update, 158 companies listed)¹¹. The database lists the agricultural exporters such as Mehadrin and Hadiklaim rather than retail buyers¹¹.

Morrisons is a named target of the BDS movement’s consumer boycott campaign in the UK, alongside Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose⁵.

ICJP’s Sainsbury’s update published in June 2025 indicates the legal notice process remains active and ongoing¹⁰.

Morrisons’ own response to the 2013 Corporate Watch investigation stated “We do not currently source from the West Bank,” a statement contradicted by the documented Tomer settlement labelling³¹².

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has specifically targeted Morrisons over settlement date products¹³¹².

Internal Governance, Content & Retail Policies

No public evidence identified of Morrisons employees being dismissed, suspended, or subject to HR action for pro-Palestinian statements, symbolic expression, or union activity related to the Israel-Palestine conflict[^No source].

No independent reports, academic studies, or regulatory inquiries identified regarding Morrisons’ algorithmic content moderation or editorial stances related to the Israel-Palestine conflict[^No source].

Morrisons’ Modern Slavery Report and Ethical Trading Policy (2025) do not contain any settlement-specific sourcing language or references to Israeli occupied territories¹.

Morrisons’ supplier code of conduct does not include any identified requirement to disclose settlement-linked production or Israeli settlement origin¹.

Morrisons has not implemented any identified buyer-level due diligence mechanism to identify or exclude settlement-produced goods in its supply chain¹.

Brand Heritage & State Partnerships

No evidence identified of Morrisons utilizing military heritage, defense sector ties, or state-security origins in its commercial branding[^No source].

The Morrisons Foundation is a UK-registered corporate charity (Charity Commission No. 1160224) awarding approximately £2 million annually to UK-based poverty, community, and health projects¹⁴¹⁵.

No evidence identified of Morrisons Foundation grants to Israeli organisations, parastatal bodies such as FIDF or JNF/KKL, or settlement-linked charities¹⁵.

The Ken & Lynne Morrison Charitable Trust, established by Sir Ken Morrison, holds £18 million or more in assets and focuses on Yorkshire and Bradford-area disability support and education; no Israeli philanthropy identified¹⁶.

Morrisons has not been identified as a participant in “Brand Israel” government-sponsored PR campaigns[^No source].

Lobbying, Advocacy, Financing & Logistics

No evidence identified of Morrisons engaging in direct lobbying on anti-BDS legislation, trade legislation, or regional policy related to Israel-Palestine[^No source].

Morrisons is a member of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and CBI; the lobbying activity of these bodies on trade and BDS issues was not fully attributed to Morrisons individually[^No source].

No evidence identified of Morrisons making direct corporate donations, sponsorships, or charitable grants to parastatal organisations, settlement groups, or military-welfare funds including FIDF, JNF/KKL, Im Tirtzu, Regavim, or Lev Echad¹⁴¹⁵¹⁶.

No evidence identified of Morrisons directing corporate resources, logistics, or free services to state, military, or state-aligned NGO efforts during periods of active conflict[^No source].

Corporate Structure & Primary Mission

Morrisons was acquired by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), a US-based private equity firm, in October 2021 for £7 billion (enterprise value £9.97 billion); the acquisition was cleared by the UK Competition and Markets Authority¹⁷¹⁸.

Following the acquisition, Morrisons became a privately held company and is no longer subject to public company disclosure obligations¹⁹.

Morrisons’ corporate charter does not contain any identified mandate explicitly tied to advancing state geopolitical goals[^No source].

No state-held golden shares identified in Morrisons’ corporate structure[^No source].

Morrisons acquired 38 convenience stores in the Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney) from SandpiperCI in 2021; these operate under Morrisons branding²⁰.

No identified Morrisons-owned subsidiaries domiciled in Israel or in occupied territories[^No source].

Executive & Leadership Footprint

Sir Terry Leahy (CD&R Senior Advisor, former Tesco CEO, central figure in the Morrisons acquisition) has documented charitable giving focused on UK institutions; his most prominent gift is £1.5 million to the University of Manchester for research into regional inequality²¹²².

No evidence identified of Sir Terry Leahy making personal donations to FIDF, JNF/KKL, Im Tirtzu, Regavim, Lev Echad, or other Israeli military-welfare or settlement organisations[^No source].

Rami Baitiéh (CEO, Morrisons, since November 2023) is a French-Lebanese retail executive with a 28-year career at Carrefour; no evidence identified of personal donations to Israeli organisations or affiliations with FIDF, JNF, KKL, Im Tirtzu, or Regavim²³²⁴.

David Potts (CEO, Morrisons, 2015–2023) had no identified personal Israeli organisational affiliations; no evidence of FIDF, JNF, or settlement donations found[^No source].

No public statements, op-eds, or social media activity identified from Morrisons’ CEO, Chair, or senior executives regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict[^No source].

Morrisons executives’ public personas are not identified as intertwined with pro-Israel advocacy positions[^No source].

CD&R hosted an “Israel Private Markets Summit” in Tel Aviv in 2022 to discuss private market investments in Israel; Sir Terry Leahy is a senior figure at CD&R²⁵.

No Morrisons board members or CD&R executives identified with personal board seats on geopolitical pressure groups, state-aligned academic institutions, or anti-BDS lobbying organisations[^No source].

Morrisons has not issued any identified public statement, policy change, or procurement review following the ICJ advisory opinion (July 2024) or ICC arrest warrants (November 2024)[^No source].

The ICJP legal notices (October 2024 and ongoing) represent the only identified formal pressure on Morrisons regarding settlement goods post-ICJ ruling; Morrisons has not responded publicly⁸¹⁰.

End Notes