KEIR Starmer was elected Prime Minister in a landslide election last week but his position on Gaza and Labour ’s initial refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire cost the party votes and seats.
Four pro-Palestine independent candidates toppled Labour challengers, including Jeremy Corbyn, Adnan Hussain, Iqbal Mohamed and Shockat Adam.
Adam might be the biggest surprise as he beat Labour's Jonathan Ashworth in Leicester South by just shy of 1000 votes as he said “this is for Gaza” in his winning speech.
It’s an issue that won’t be going away for the Labour leader. Indeed, during his visit to Scotland on Sunday, pro-Palestinian protesters lined the streets outside Bute House in anticipation of his arrival.
But what has Starmer said on Gaza during his time as Labour leader?
Here’s a timeline:
- September 2021 – Starmer slammed for “colonial” speech
Pro-Palestine campaigners criticised Starmer for a speech at an event hosted by the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) lobby group.
The Labour leader said that his party "does not and will not support" boycotts against Israel to pressure the nation over its treatment of Palestinians and made reference to a quote by former Labour leader Harold Wilson, that Israel was founded by "social democrats who made the desert flower".
In a statement to Middle East Eye, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) said Starmer's speech had drawn on "racist anti-Palestinian tropes" and engaged in "wilful denial" of the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their lands.
- April 2022 – Starmer claims Israel is not an apartheid state
Despite most prominent human rights organisations labelling Israel as an “apartheid state” due to its discrimination and repression of Palestinians, the Labour leader said he didn’t believe it was the case.
He said: “No. I’ve been very clear about that. That is not the Labour party position.”
- October 10 2023 – Starmer says Israel “has the right” to withhold power and water in Gaza
In an interview with LBC in the wake of Hamas launching a murderous assault on Israeli civilians, Starmer appeared to suggest that Israel has “the right” to withhold energy and water from Gaza.
A number of his councillors resigned over what they perceived as “horrifying” comments that he was “endorsing a war crime”.
But after days of backlash, Starmer argued that he had intended to say that Israel has the right to defend itself and retrieve the around 200 hostages being held at the time – “within international law”.
- October 31 2023 – Starmer refuses to back calls for a ceasefire.
The Labour leader did urge Israel to obey international law but refused to back calls for a ceasefire, amid much criticism from many of his own MPs that he appeared oblivious to the suffering of Palestinians.
He argued that such a move would make it harder to rescue Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas.
- November 16 2023 – Starmes faces huge rebellion from his MPs over issue
Starmer faced a massive rebellion from his MPs on the issue and a wave of resignations from his team.
The Labour leader claimed there was “absolute unity” on the issue despite 56 MPs defying him to vote with the SNP for a ceasefire, with 10 members of his frontbench resigning as a result.
It was perhaps the biggest challenge to his leadership since replacing Jeremy Corbyn in 2020.
- February 20 2024 – Starmer calls for humanitarian ceasefire with caveat
Starmer's party tabled an amendment to an SNP motion which called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. The amendment was very similar to the motion, but removed the reference to Israel engaging in the "collective punishment" of the Palestinian people.
- July 7 2024 – Starmer has first call with Israeli and Palestinian president
The Prime Minister spoke to the Palestinian president on Sunday about the “ongoing suffering and devastating loss of life” in Gaza.
Starmer also spoke to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, setting out the “clear and urgent” need for a ceasefire and the return of the hostages snatched by Hamas in the October 7 attacks.
He also said that recognition of the state of Palestine as part of a Middle East peace process is an “undeniable right” but refused, amid calls, to recognise it as such immediately after taking office.
