The UK government’s ban on Palestine Action is at odds with international law, according to the UN human rights chief.

Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said on Friday that the UK’s decision to proscribe the campaign group as a terrorist organisation was “disproportionate and unnecessary” and called for the designation to be rescinded.

He said: “UK domestic counter-terrorism legislation defines terrorist acts broadly to include ‘serious damage to property’. "But, according to international standards, terrorist acts should be confined to criminal acts intended to cause death or serious injury or to the taking of hostages, for purpose of intimidating a population or to compel a government to take a certain action or not.

“It misuses the gravity and impact of terrorism to expand it beyond those clear boundaries, to encompass further conduct that is already criminal under the law.”