Starmer attempts to reassert authority, more members to quit
4 Min Read
Four new Labour ministers are ready to quit the party in light of Starmer's firm decision to vote against a ceasefire in Gaza.
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British Labour Party head, Keir Starmer speaks on stage during the Labour Party Conference at the Brighton Centre in Brighton, England, on Sept. 23, 2019. (AP)
In the wake of several resignations among members of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer is attempting to reassert his authority within the party over the Israeli war on Gaza, with four shadow ministers ready to quit in the coming days, including 10 others on "resignation watch".
The Labour leader has faced backlash from several shadow ministers - who sources say are ready to resign, rather than vote against a ceasefire in the Middle East- which Starmer has refused to support.
A Labour official said party leaders were closely watching as many as 15 shadow ministers were likely to quit after the resignation of Imran Hussain. On that note, none are understood to be in the shadow cabinet.
"My position has always been [that] the only way forward is a ceasefire. The pause [as advocated by Starmer] will not solve the problem. Someone needs to say enough is enough," said one Labour frontbencher to the Guardian.
Another said, "I have over 600 emails on this, which is more than any other subject ever, including Brexit and COVID-19… I don’t know a Labour MP who isn’t under pressure now."
Another resignation in the Labour Party
This comes after UK media outlets reported on Wednesday that Imran Hussain, the Shadow Minister for the New Deal for Working People, has resigned after having been “deeply troubled” by Starmer's refusal to back a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Bradford East MP wrote a letter to Starmer criticizing him for endorsing and supporting the ongoing genocide, “The cutting of food, water, power, and medicine to Palestinians in Gaza is an act of collective punishment that violates international law... Like many others, I was therefore deeply troubled by the comments you made... You appeared to endorse such actions by the Israeli military.”
Hussain concluded that he would continue to urge for a ceasefire from the backbenches of parliament.
Hussain's resignation came after a campaign of resignations took place in light of Starmer's support for "Israel". For instance, Burnley Council leader Afrasiab Anwar resigned with 10 others, saying that “blindly following Rishi Sunak” was “not acceptable”.
He described his departure from the Labour Party as a "tough decision."
Anwar and a group of ten other councilors have issued a statement announcing their collective decision to depart from the party, citing their memberships as "unsustainable" due to the leadership's failure to call for a ceasefire in the Middle East.
'Starmer cheerleader of war crimes'
Pendle Borough Council leader Asjad Mahmood condemned Starmer because he had “failed to listen” to calls for a ceasefire to “stop the innocent loss of lives”, and asserted that he resign to “allow someone who has compassion to lead our party.”
Before officially declaring her departure from the Labour Party, Kensington and Chelsea Councilor Mona Ahmed said remarks from both the governing Conservatives and her party had been highly condemnable, as cited by Anadolu news agency.
When discussing Keir Starmer's reaction to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Ahmed remarked, “Nobody will forget how Starmer chose to be a cheerleader of war crimes and collective punishment. He could have called for de-escalation, but instead, he contributed to the chorus of voices that enabled the genocide we are now seeing. Arab and Muslim communities will not forget this.”
Despite government threats to shut down and rebuke pro-Palestine rallies, they have continued to call for a ceasefire by taking on the streets of London.
