Watch Khan back ceasefire as NEC rep slams party record on Islamophobia

Khan joins calls for ceasefire

It’s been another tense 24 hours for Labour, with divisions over Keir Starmer’s stance on the conflict between Israel and Hamas far from healed. London mayor Sadiq Khan this morning joined calls for a ceasefire – the highest profile Labour figure yet to break with the party line. He wrote that a ceasefire would “stop the killing” and allow vital aid supplies and time to prevent a “protracted conflict in the region.”

It is not unknown for Khan to take differing positions to Starmer, as he has done on Brexit. But Khan adds a significant voice to the ceasefire chorus now piling pressure on the Labour leader. Shadow minister Imran Hussain yesterday became the latest frontbencher to join those calls, signing an early day motion now backed by 95 MPs across parties. Labour-affiliated UNISON, a major party donor and the biggest UK union, has also underlined its pro-ceasefire stance, as we revealed yesterday.

Thousands of innocent civilians have already been killed in Israel and Gaza.

With the humanitarian crisis set to deteriorate even further, I’m calling for a ceasefire.pic.twitter.com/9HPau9X9jP

— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) October 27, 2023

‘Islamophobia’ claim by NEC member

Meanwhile, national executive committee (NEC) member Mish Rahman has attacked the party’s record on Islamophobia and demanded an independent inquiry, echoing others’ accusations that Starmer gaslit Muslims by clarifying his past comments. Rahman writes that it “increasingly feels like Labour is not a safe space for Muslims”, claiming the leader’s attempts to engage with Muslims in recent weeks “have only caused more hurt”. He continues: “For too long, many Muslim members and voters have felt they are treated as voting fodder.” Labour was not immediately available for comment, but its rulebook says members must act with “respect”, Islamophobia is “prejudicial” to the party and allegations will be investigated.

Mixed motions

The backlash to Starmer’s stance within some local parties has continued – and seen the party lose its majority on Oxford City Council. Nine councillors have now resigned.

Elsewhere, some have condemned restrictions on Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) discussing the conflict – and you can read our explainer on those rules here. One London CLP member was recently advised his pro-ceasefire motion would likely be ruled out of order, and another LabourList reader claims they had the same experience.

But members in a different London CLP passed a pro-ceasefire resolution on Wednesday, and Aberdeen Labour released a pro-ceasefire statement earlier this week. An officer in another CLP also told LabourList she was “relieved” there was “guidance [which] left the door open for officers to exercise some local discretion. We are all volunteers after all. Conflict resolution is not what we signed up for”.

In other Labour news…

MP SECURITY CONCERNS: Labour MPs have been offered security advice amid tensions over the conflict between Israel and Hamas, HuffPost reports. Chief whip Alan Campbell has written to MPs acknowledging that they “may have heightened security concerns” and reminding them of the security and wellbeing support available to them (HuffPost).

ANTI-FLOODS FORCE: Labour has pledged to create a COBRA-style flood resilience taskforce that it said would meet every winter ahead of the peak season for flooding. Shadow DEFRA secretary Steve Reed declared that “the Conservatives’ sticking-plaster approach has left communities devastated and cost the economy billions of pounds”.

AI SUMMIT: Labour’s shadow minister for tech and digital economy, Alex Davies-Jones, has accused the government of keeping the opposition “in the dark” over plans for next week’s AI Safety Summit (PoliticsHome).

NEW DIGS: Labour staff are now in their new office in London, a source told LabourList. We shared some details on the award-winning “smart” building the party was preparing to move into in this piece earlier this year.

COUNCIL BY-ELECTION HOLD: Labour has won a by-election in Higham Hill ward in Waltham Forest (triggered by new Mid Beds MP Alistair Strathern’s resignation to contest his own by-election) – but with a reduced vote share, while both the Lib Dems and TUSC saw a notable increase in their portion of the vote (Election Maps UK via X).

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