Sir Keir Starmer is under growing pressure over Labour's stance on the Israel-Hamas war after dozens of councillors quit the party.
The Labour leader, who has said his focus is on stopping the suffering in Gaza and not the “individual positions” of party members, has backed the government’s call for a “humanitarian pause” in the fighting but has not called for an immediate ceasefire.
He has resisted calls for a ceasefire by arguing the conflict would be frozen in its current state and Hamas, which is classed as a terrorist organisation in the UK, would be “emboldened” by the move.
But this stance has caused outrage among senior Labour figures and dozens of councillors across the country, who described their memberships as “untenable” with Sir Keir’s position.
Here, we take a look at the growing row and what Sir Keir has said about a ceasefire:
What is the row about?
On 7 October, Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,400 Israelis in what has been described as a massacre.
Soon after, the Israel Defence Forces vowed to eradicate Hamas and launched airstrikes on the region, which Gazan authorities say have now killed more than 10,000 civilians.
As the death toll increased in the last four weeks of fighting, calls mounted for a ceasefire which would allow for civilians to escape the region and for the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid.
But many governments, including the UK and US, have refused to push for a complete ceasefire - instead calling for a “humanitarian pause” - short intervals which would allow for the delivery of vital supplies.
Rishi Sunak’s government and Labour leader Sir Keir both claim a complete ceasefire would leave Hamas with the infrastructure and capacity to repeat the kind of attack carried out on 7 October.
In response, many Labour members have accused Sir Keir of lacking compassion by refusing to speak out against “injustice and the indiscriminate killing of innocent human beings”.
Palestinians stand amid rubble of a building in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes on the region— (AFP via Getty Images)
What has Sir Keir said about an Israel-Hamas ceasefire?
Sir Keir has rejected calls from within the Labour Party for a complete ceasefire and said “humanitarian pauses” are the only “credible approach” to the conflict.
Although Sir Keir described the situation in Gaza as “horrifying” and recognised why people wanted a ceasefire, he claimed Hamas would be “emboldened” by the move.
“Hamas would be emboldened and would start preparing for future violence immediately” if a ceasefire was implemented, he said.
“It is, of course, also holding 200 hostages, you cannot freeze that situation without denying a sovereign state its self-defence.”
Meanwhile, he said Israel must abide by international law in its offensive on Gaza and that the Palestinian people “must be protected”.
Sir Keir said Hamas would be ‘emboldened’ by a ceasefire which would allow them to prepare for future attacks— (PA Wire)
What do his critics say?
Sir Keir’s critics have called on him to step down as Labour leader, claiming he has not “stood up for Labour values” by speaking out against “injustices” across the world.
Burnley council leader Afrasiab Anwar, who resigned on Monday, said: “I and colleagues across Burnley over the last few weeks have seen the sad loss of people including young children in Palestine and Israel and this has to stop immediately.
“I joined the Labour Party because of the values of standing up and speaking out against injustices across the world. Sadly, Keir Starmer has not stood up for Labour values, hence why we are calling upon him to step down. Blindly following the position of Mr Sunak is not acceptable to us and our residents who we represent.”
Meanwhile, senior Labour figures like Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Jess Phillips also split with Sir Keir by claiming there had to be “peaceful political solutions” to bring an end to the “killing”.
Mr Sarwar said there needed to be “peace” and “protection of life” amid the “ completely unacceptable slaughtering of innocent individuals”.
Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar said comments by Sir Keir on the Middle East conflict were ‘hurtful’ and peaceful solutions were needed— (PA Wire)
Who has quit?
Fifty Labour councillors, out of more than 6,400, have resigned from the party, alongside big names who have rebelled against the party line by calling for a ceasefire, including London mayor Sadiq Khan, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
Despite the rift, Sir Keir has claimed Labour was “united” on the issue because everyone was motivated by the same desire to alleviate human suffering in Gaza.
A Labour spokesperson said: “Labour fully understands calls for a ceasefire. Everybody wants to see an end to this cycle of violence and suffering, we need to see hostages released and aid getting to those most in need.
“But a ceasefire now will only freeze this conflict and would leave hostages in Gaza and Hamas with the infrastructure and capability to carry out the sort of attack we saw on 7 October.
“International law must be followed at all times and innocent civilians must be protected. Labour is calling for humanitarian pauses in the fighting.
“This is the best and most realistic way to address the humanitarian emergency in Gaza and is a position shared by our major allies, in the US and the EU.”
