Labour leader Keir Starmer is under fresh pressure over his stance on the Gaza conflict after a shadow minister became the first frontbencher to quit over his refusal to back a ceasefire.
Imran Hussain, the MP for Bradford East, said he was quitting his role as shadow minister for work to be able to “strongly advocate” for a ceasefire.
Sir Keir is now fighting to maintain discipline, with more than 65 MPs, including 18 frontbenchers, backing a ceasefire. Almost 50 Labour councillors have resigned and hundreds of local representatives oppose the position.
The resignation comes as left-wing Labour MP Zarah Sultana has tabled an amendment to the King’s Speech calling for an “immediate ceasefire”.
The amendment is backed by MPs from six parties and could be voted on next Wednesday at the conclusion of the King’s Speech debate. Some 14 Labour left-wingers, including John McDonnell, Nadia Whittome, Rosena Allin-Khan and Richard Burgon, have backed the move.
One Labour frontbencher told The Independent Mr Hussain’s resignation could put pressure on others in the party who have spoken out on the ceasefire.
They said: “It was always a surprise Imran came back on the front bench as he was a big Jeremy [Corbyn] fan. It will put a bit of pressure on a few colleagues, but after four weeks I don’t think it will be a game changer.”
In his letter to Sir Keir, Mr Hussain said he was “deeply troubled” by the Labour leader’s interview on LBC in which he appeared to suggest that the Israeli government had a right to withhold water and power from citizens in Gaza.
He said he had been “proud” to work alongside Sir Keir and his deputy, Angela Rayner, but could not “in all good conscience” push for a cessation of hostilities while remaining on the frontbench.
Labour MP Imran Hussain (House of Commons/PA)— (PA Archive)
Mr Hussain said: “It has become clear that my view on the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza differs substantially from the position you have adopted.”
The MP, a member of the Socialist Campaign Group, has been on Labour’s frontbench for almost eight years, serving under Jeremy Corbyn as shadow international development minister in 2016.
Sir Keir’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said that Mr Hussain had “reached his own decision”. She maintained that the party leadership did not see a ceasefire as the right move.
In a warning, Ms Phillipson told Times Radio: “I would urge colleagues to always carefully choose their words where it comes to fast-moving international events, and where it isn’t always clear or apparent very quickly what is happening on the ground.”
Keir Starmer now faces a parliamentary rebellion on the ceasefire— (Getty Images)
Despite support for a ceasefire among shadow ministers, Mr Hussain was the only Labour frontbencher to have backed a fresh parliamentary motion calling for a ceasefire tabled by Mr Burgon on Tuesday.
Sir Keir’s team is believed to have made clear to all frontbenchers that signing the latest motion, refreshed after the return of parliament, would not be compatible with them staying in their jobs.
One Labour shadow minister, who supports Sir Keir’s stance, said the party has “managed to come together a lot more in the past week”, adding: “I think the vast majority believe he’s in the right place.” Another frontbencher told The Independent that they “doubt it will spread beyond [Mr Hussain]”.
However, alongside Ms Zultana’s amendment, Labour left-wingers are looking at other options to force the ceasefire issue in parliament – including work with the SNP on an opposition day debate, which would end with a non-binding vote.
One Labour MP told The Independent that a vote could be “cathartic” moment, adding: “It would force the issue, and flush some more MPs and frontbenchers out as backing a ceasefire. It will allow some MPs to say to their own voters, ‘You can hold your nose and vote for me’.”
A Labour Party spokesman said: “Labour fully understands calls for a ceasefire ... 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 October 7.”
They added: “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.”
It comes as Momentum founder Jon Landsman said he found it “difficult to relate to how much of the left responded” to Hamas’ attack on Israel.
The Jewish left-winger told the New Statesman that “there isn’t much sympathy for the feeling in Israel that they need to prevent such an attack again.”
Mr Landsman condemned the “from the river to the sea” chant heard at pro-Palestine marches, and said Jeremy Corbyn “had a real problem talking to Jewish communal bodies”.
Meanwhile, the Jewish Labour Movement and Labour Friends of Israel have written to 6,5000 Labour councillors warning that their “words and actions have a direct impact [on] community cohesion”.
Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has accused Israeli ministers of “unacceptable and offensive rhetoric” about Palestinians and condemned acts of “violence and extremism” by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
The party’s strongest criticism of the Israeli government since the 7 October terror attack came in a letter to foreign secretary James Cleverly, Mr Lammy bemoaned the “sharp increase in violence and displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank”.
