Starmer emails all councillors over Israel-Gaza as party tensions grow

Horror in Gaza

Since our email was sent out this morning, Keir Starmer has written to all Labour councillors, emphasising that “millions of innocent” Palestinians and Israelis have been affected by the ongoing conflict. The Labour leader said that Gaza needs humanitarian access including food, water, electricity and medicines – and that the world must act to stop “humanitarian catastrophe”.

Starmer wrote that he is acutely aware of a “shocking rise” in Islamophobia and antisemitic attacks and praised councillors for their work to “kick out hate” and for promoting community cohesion. He added that Labour has “zero tolerance” for hate, “no matter whose name or what cause it is committed in”.

Below is the text of our morning email:

Keir Starmer has called for international law to be upheld and hospitals and civilian lives protected following a blast at a hospital in Gaza that has reportedly left hundreds dead and led to protests across the Middle East. The Gaza health ministry, run by Hamas, has blamed the explosion on an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli Defence Forces said it was caused by a failed rocket launch by another militant Palestinian group, Islamic Jihad, an allegation the group has denied. A spokesperson for the Gaza civil defence put the number of killed at about 300. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has today called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”, declaring: “Too many lives and the fate of the entire region hang in the balance.”

Labour’s stance towards the conflict between Israel and Hamas is drawing growing criticism, with Starmer’s statement last night condemned by left-wing members of the party’s ruling national executive committee (NEC). Mish Rahman accused the Labour leader of having “endorsed war crimes”, adding: “You still don’t have the courage to call them out for what they are. You are no better than Sunak or the Tories on this. Equally complicit.” His NEC colleague Jess Barnard also hit out at the statement, writing: “Ten days innocent Palestinians have been under bombardment. Thousands of innocent people are dead and still without food, water and power. Where have you been?”

The party has been rocked by a series of resignations by councillors across the country over comments Starmer made about Israel’s right to defend itself – which the Labour Muslim Network argued “endorsed plans” for the collective punishment of people living in the Gaza Strip. The Labour leader has repeatedly stressed the need for international law to be upheld, however. The party leadership is understood to have held a meeting with councillors on Monday night, with one person present telling the Financial Times that the party was warned it had “a day or two” left to alter course before the internal situation became “unmanageable”. The developing situation in the Middle East will likely deepen these divisions and increase pressure from within for Starmer to be less uncritical in his support for the Israeli government.

Tamworth candidate passes voter grilling with flying colours 

Labour’s Tamworth candidate Sarah Edwards bravely faced voters’ unfiltered questions through a Facebook Live event last night ahead of Thursday’s poll (editor Tom Belger writes). The questions gave a snapshot of local concerns, from anger over potholes, poor public transport links and ailing high streets to inadequate mental health services and worries over inflation’s toll on households’ and firms’ budgets. Edwards handled them all with seeming ease, sounding relatable while reeling off Labour’s approach. She revealed she recently reunited a voter with their lost dog and passed the ‘have you seen our local football team play’ test, though dodged the ‘favourite local restaurant’ question. Join Labour’s national phonebanking taskforce getting voters out in Tamworth and Mid Beds here.

In other Labour news…

INFLATION STATIONS: Inflation held steady at 6.7% in September, according to the Office for National Statistics. Commenting on the figures, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves accused Rishi Sunak of having “no plan to fix the economy”, adding: “Working people cannot afford another five more years of the Conservatives.” (The Guardian).

LABOUR HEAD-TO-HEADS: Elections today to the chair positions of the Commons business and trade committee, standards committee and petitions committee pit various Labour MPs against each other. The roles are eligible only for Labour candidates, though all MPs are able to vote (Politico).

LABOUR’S BIGGEST FAN: Former Tory minister Anna Soubry has backed Labour’s candidate Alistair Strathern in the Mid Beds by-election, declaring that she has “had enough of the decline of our country” (The Mirror).

HAPPY BADGERS: Labour has pledged to end the badger cull. Shadow farming minister Daniel Zeichner said the party would “make England bovine TB free by 2038, but with a range of measures that do not include culling” (The Guardian).

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