Sir Keir Starmer was on Thursday facing a simmering grassroots rebellion over his stance on the Israel-Gaza crisis amid warnings that more councillors could quit to support independent candidates at the general election.
The Labour leader may have defused, at least temporarily, a revolt among his shadow ministers over his position on the Middle East conflict. But local politicians said there was still “enormous anger” at the way he handled the wake of the October 7 attacks on Israel and its response.
More than 1,400 people were killed in southern Israel by Hamas and some 240 people taken as hostages to Gaza. Israel has unleashed a military onslaught on Gaza, aiming to destroy terror group Hamas, but which has cost the lives of more than 8,700 people in the largely-besieged strip, according to local health officials.
Sir Keir has backed a “humanitarian pause” to allow desperately-needed aid into Gaza, rather than a ceasefire as demanded by dozens of Labour MPs and hundreds of its councillors.
The Labour leader also infuriated many party members in an interview with LBC on October 11 when he said Israel had “the right” to cut power and water from Gaza when defending itself from Hamas. The words sparked a wave of anger with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar acknowledging they had “hurt” Muslims and “peace-loving” people.
In an attempt to quell the rising tensions, Sir Keir later clarified that he did not support Israel committing war crimes and in a speech earlier this week said the country “must submit to the rules of international law” when trying to neutralise terrorists.
But his reiteration of calls for a “humanitarian pause” rather than an immediate ceasefire was branded “too little, too late” by some in his party.
“The fact Kier took nine days to clarify what he meant in that LBC interview caused enormous anger,” said one Labour staffer.
“That interview went viral on WhatApp groups. His speech was good, diplomatic, and well delivered but without the call for a ceasefire it was too little, too late for some.”
Calls for a “humanitarian pause” to get much needed aid into Gaza are in line with the stance taken by US president Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected any ceasefire, while Hamas leaders have said they would not adhere to one.
But Sir Keir, who took a “ruthless” approach to rooting anti-Semitism from his party when he took over from Jeremy Corbyn in 2020, was still being warned that he faces significant challenges by not calling for an immediate suspension of hostilities in the region.
There was “a lot of talk” surrounding an independent socialist party forming before the next election in a bid to galvanise Muslim voters in some areas of Britain, party insiders said.
The chatter is particularly dominating in east London, where George Galloway swept to victory with his Respect party in 2005. Mr Galloway won the Bethnal Green and Bow parliamentary seat, beating Labour’s Oona King in a bitter campaign that centred around his opposition to the Iraq war.
Mr Corbyn, who has repeatedly called for a ceasefire, has previously strongly hinted that he will stand against the party he used to lead in Islington North.
Left-winger Emma Dent Coad has confirmed she will stand as an independent in the Kensington seat she won for Labour in 2017.
Poplar and Limehouse MP Apsana Begum has backed the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign protests.
She has previously claimed that as a “socialist, Muslim, working-class woman” she was targeted for re-selection in her seat in Tower Hamlets where Labour lost control of the borough council last year to Lutfur Rahman’s independent Aspire party.
“There is a feeling of deja vu among the Muslim Labour members here,” one senior London councillor said.
“Many remember the Iraq war and how that felt. Muslim councillors and voters feel taken for granted.
“There will potentially be some high profile candidates running as independents at the next election and if the anger builds even more there will be a groundswell of support for them. Independents have shown they can win in London in general and local elections.
“Many will be thinking why should I go out and support my Labour candidate, doorknock and campaign for them, when the party doesn’t care about me. It’s not just the General Election, it could have a huge impact on Sadiq Khan at the Mayoral election (in May) as well.”
At least 13 shadow ministers have called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an early day motion backing the complete suspension of hostilities was signed by 39 Labour MPs.
But Sir Keir has stood firm, arguing it would only “leave Hamas with the infrastructure and the capability to carry out the sort of attack we saw on October 7”
Shabana Mahmood, the shadow justice secretary, has written to constituents suggesting Israel may be guilty of the “collective punishment” of “innocent civilians” but she has not publicly joined the rebels, who also include Mayors Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham.
Shadow cabinet minister Liz Kendall today suggested that Labour MPs who do defy the party leadership by calling for a ceasefire will not face disciplinary action.
“That’s not been the approach we’ve taken,” she told Sky News.
“Keir’s position is the right one, and I actually think, if you look across our party, our desire to end the killing, to make sure we get that aid in and the hostages out, and that long-term goal of a two-state solution, is something that we all agree on.”
Labour lost its majority on Oxford council last week when nine councillors resigned the whip over the party’s position on the conflict.
Six are planning to form the Oxford Socialist Independents. But one senior Labour MP dismissed the resignations as tensions that have been “bubbling under the surface” with left wingers since Mr Corbyn was ousted.
Across Britain more than 30 local Labour politicians have so far quit in response to the crisis and some 330 councillors signed a letter calling for a ceasefire.
Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy said some frontbenchers were “receiving appalling abuse” over the party’s stance, but added that “collective responsibility is hugely important”.
Birmingham MP Khalid Mahmood was forced to issue a statement after “fake and edited video” suggesting he did not want a ceasefire began being widely circulated on social media.
“There is a TikTok video going around that is edited and fake,” he said.
“It states that I do not support the ceasefire. In Parliament I have called for a ceasefire I also signed the early day motion calling for a ceasefire.”
Tower Hamlets Labour group leader councillor Sirajul Islam also had to address “unfounded and divisive” accusations that he had ordered the hundreds of Palestinian flags put up across the borough to be taken down.
“The recent campaign of smear tactics will not deter me or the Labour group from fulfilling our obligation to represent Tower Hamlets,” he said.
“It is crucial that an immediate ceasefire is called in Gaza.”
