Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said he is “really sorry” that there is no “good Labour candidate to vote for” in the Rochdale by-election after the party withdrew its support for Azhar Ali.
The MP for Ilford North told ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Monday (19 February): “I’m not going to pretend that this has been Labour’s finest hour.
“We’ve got people going to the polls in Rochdale who don’t have a good Labour candidate to vote for. I’m really sorry that’s the case – I think it’s an appalling position to be in.
“But what I wouldn’t want is for Labour to stand by someone who’s peddled antisemitic conspiracy theories, and that’s why Keir’s taken this unprecedented action.”
