LABOUR MPs are reportedly being told to vote down an SNP amendment to the King’s Speech calling for a vote on a ceasefire in Gaza.
We previously told how the SNP were utilising an amendment to the King’s Speech to force Keir Starmer’s party into a vote.
It comes as the SNP have written to UK party leaders, elected mayors and Scottish party leaders to urge them to show support for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.
Writing on Twitter/X, political correspondent for Joe, Ava-Santina, said: “Understand Labour whips are being instructed to tell MPs to vote down SNP amendment next Weds on Commons vote for immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
“Labour’s final position not decided – but MPs are being told supporting the SNP would undermine Labour in Scotland.
“Tougher line begin given to potential dissenting frontbenchers who are being reminded ‘if we were in government they would have to vote against’.”
Pressure on Starmer is continuing to grow as many Labour figures continue to call for a ceasefire.
A frontbench MP resigned earlier this week over the party’s position on the matter, as well as a number of councillors in Burnley.
Responding to the reports, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said: “I thought the Labour Party in Scotland backed a ceasefire.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has already gone against Starmer in calling for a ceasefire, as has London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Flynn has said he “fully anticipates” the vote on the ceasefire to take place on Wednesday November 15.
In his letter, Flynn (below) said: “"It is now just over a month since Hamas launched its horrific terrorist attacks on the people of Israel. And a month on, I still don’t think the barbaric and brutal reality of those attacks has even begun to sink in. The viciousness of that violence and the taking of so many hostages was a crime against humanity that will embed itself into our collective memories for years to come.
"Equally though, the response and retaliation, the images of bombs raining down on the dense urban concrete of Gaza, a concrete city which is home to 2.2 million Palestinian people, and the subsequent large-scale loss of civilian life has been every bit as harrowing.
"The cutting off of electricity, of medical supplies and of clean water is collective punishment of the Palestinian people. A humanitarian disaster is now unfolding before the watching world in Gaza.
"The only way to stop this humanitarian disaster, the only way to stop the killing of thousands more children, is to use all our influence to press for an immediate ceasefire."
