Party responds to Starmer speech setting out his opposition to ceasefire

Reaction to Starmer’s speech on conflict in Gaza and Israel

Good morning. Yesterday, Keir Starmer used a speech to set out his stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict – you can read the full text here. Starmer doubled down on resisting calls for a ceasefire, warning it could “embolden” Hamas, and the leader said politicians making snap judgments on international law was “unwise”. But he also warned Israel it didn’t have a “blank cheque” and should stop settlements, and stressed Labour’s commitment to a two-state solution. And his ceasefire stance even left open the door to a change in stance – saying only it was not correct “at this stage”.

The speech was praised by many in the party, including veteran MP Margaret Hodge (who argued that while “calling for [a ceasefire] may make us feel better, but it will not help those on the ground right now”) and the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM), which praised Starmer’s “clear leadership”. The Guardian was more ambivalent, praising some elements of the speech but describing his intervention as “far from convincing” in an editorial. One figure on the left of the party called it a “green light” for continued Israeli bombardment, and this morning more than 330 councillors have written to the party asking for a ceasefire. We have the story here.

Overnight in Gaza the damage to a refugee camp following an Israeli airstrike is still being assessed, with reports of dozens of casualties. The Israeli military said the strike had targeted a key Hamas commander. Rosena Allin-Khan, until recently a shadow cabinet minister, posted an image of the destroyed camp to X yesterday evening and appeared to send a warning to the leadership: “I respect some believe a ceasefire is not plausible, but they should stand up and explain what they’ll do to avoid more devastating bloodshed like this.”

Starmer also stressed the importance of “collective responsibility” yesterday, though it will raise eyebrows given levels of dissent recently. The key question now is whether his new position and implicit warning to frontbenchers will be enough to stop further voices speaking out or even quitting their posts. Meanwhile Labour has this morning called for a coordinated disasters emergency committee (DEC) fund appeal, to be matched with government funding, to provide essential humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Covid Inquiry

The Covid Inquiry is hearing explosive evidence about conduct at the very top of government during the pandemic this week, with evidence from former aides including Dominic Cummings and ex-Downing Street communications chief Lee Cain. Yesterday, the inquiry heard that Boris Johnson allegedly described the virus as “nature’s way of dealing with old people“, and shadow minister without portfolio Nick Thomas-Symonds said the inquiry was demonstrating that the Conservatives were “unfit for office”, adding: “Families who lost loved ones will be shocked and appalled that during the pandemic ministers were willing to put older people’s lives at risk, yet many of those sat around the cabinet table are still there today.”

However, Thomas-Symonds’ is not the only contribution from the party on Covid this week. LabourList this morning reports on potentially controversial comments made by Blackley and Broughton MP Graham Stringer, who argued at an event over the weekend that the policies used to combat Covid were “probably worse” than the disease itself, and that schools should have remained open in the pandemic. My report here.

We didn’t start the fire

Firefighters from around the country will today assemble in Westminster for the launch of a new “Firefighter’s Manifesto”, demanding among other things a new advisory body on standards and committed resources to allow the fire service to tackle the increase in extreme weather events. The last 13 years have seen a 30% cut in central government funding for the service and a loss of one in five firefighter jobs. Fire Brigades Union (FBU) general secretary Matt Wrack commented: “To avoid catastrophe, politicians must start listening to the voice of the frontline”, arguing, “every year it’s getting harder to protect our communities”.