Sir Keir Starmer has sought to play down the divisions within Labour over his stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict, as he insisted his focus was on stopping the suffering in Gaza not on the “individual positions” of party members.
It comes after two Labour council leaders called on him to resign, amid internal divisions and criticism over his refusal to back a ceasefire as the crisis continues to escalate.
“I understand why people feel very strongly about this, not just in the Labour Party I think in all political parties and across the country,” Sir Keir told reporters after a speech at the North East Chamber of Commerce.
“This isn’t about the particular position taken by individuals within the Labour Party. It is about alleviating that suffering. And just at the moment we desperately need humanitarian aid to get in faster into Gaza.”
The leader of the opposition should in the least be applying pressure on the Prime Minister, on the Government, to call for a ceasefire and a release of all hostages
He added: “My focus is on alleviating the awful suffering of all of those caught up in the situation that has developed over the last few weeks, whatever the individual positions of members of my party. That is not my focus”
Asjad Mahmood, a Pendle Borough councillor, accused his party leader of failing to listen and called on him to “resign to allow someone to lead our party who has compassion and speaks out against injustice”.
Burnley council leader Afrasiab Anwar said a humanitarian pause is “not good enough”.
He said: “What we feel should be happening is that the leader of the opposition should in the least be applying pressure on the Prime Minister, on the Government, to call for a ceasefire and a release of all hostages.
The number of lives that we’re seeing lost, the number of people, innocent civilians, who are losing their lives on both sides, we need to call it out and there needs to be a stop to it
He added: “The reason that a humanitarian pause is not good enough is because obviously the aid will get in but then the bombing, the attacks will start again. What we’re seeing is that these innocent civilians have got nowhere to escape to.
“The whole international community came out and said that Israel has the right to defend itself, just as any other nation does, but it’s got to be proportional and within international law.
“The number of lives that we’re seeing lost, the number of people, innocent civilians, who are losing their lives on both sides, we need to call it out and there needs to be a stop to it.”
Sir Keir has also been battling to maintain frontbench discipline, with several members of his top team in revolt against his stance of calling for a humanitarian “pause” in the fighting in Gaza.
Sixteen frontbenchers have now either called for a ceasefire or shared others’ calls backing a ceasefire on social media, including Yasmin Qureshi, Jess Phillips and Imran Hussain.
