In a now infamous interview, Labour leader Keir Starmer was asked by LBC’s Nick Ferrari whether Israel was justified in cutting off water and electricity to Gaza. Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, replied: “I think Israel does have that right”:

Later that day, in a Newsnight interview, Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry, was asked about the Labour leader’s comments. She insisted that “Israel has an absolute right to defend itself”:

Consistently, this was the line that Starmer and Co took in the following months when concerns were raised about the increasing death toll in Gaza and there were demands for a ceasefire.

This led to dissent in the Party and mass resignations of Labour councillors, mostly Muslims, across the country.

And when in November the SNP tabled a ceasefire amendment in Parliament, several shadow cabinet members, including Jess Philips, stepped down to go against the Party line and supported the motion:

But in total only 56 Labour MPs voted for a ceasefire. Those who refused to vote for the amendment faced a backlash in their constituencies:

Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who many have commented is set to be a future Labour leader, is according to local polling data in danger of losing his seat to an independent Palestinian candidate:

‘Shaking off the Fleas’

It’s important to point out that, as the pro-Palestinian Labour MP Zara Sultana mentions in the above video, “it’s not just Muslim voters who care about what’s happening in Gaza”. She continues: “I am getting constituents from all backgrounds contacting me…”

According to the Survation Poll referred to in the video, 85% of Muslims questioned said that the stance of political parties towards what is happening in Gaza was important in determining their vote in the next general election. And the survey also found that support for Labour amongst British Muslims has dropped by 26%.

A senior Labour source said that Muslims leaving Labour was a sign that the Party was “shaking off the fleas”.

Local Election Results: A Victory for Palestine?

Although the Conservatives suffered massive losses in the recent local elections, Labour also suffered defeat in a number of seats around the country. In Pendle in Lancashire, Labour failed to win single seat. There are now 12 ex-Labour independent councillors who left the Party over the Gaza issue. Councillor Mohammad Hanif, who was one of those re-elected, said: “I was in the Labour Party for 30-plus years. I could have left it back in October but I felt it was important to fight for the cause. However, the party was gagging us from speaking. They said we cannot talk about certain things. We said this is not how we work. So we all decided to move.”

“This is not just for the people of Pendle. This is for the people of Palestine. This victory is for them. Yasser Iqbal and I resigned from Labour last year. The reason was because of Keir Starmer’s comments about cutting off gas and water to Gaza, which was totally against the law.”

“People on the doorsteps in Pendle said they’re never going to vote Labour while Keir Starmer is there. The whole community thinks what’s going on [regarding Gaza] is wrong. It’s across the board – not just Asian voters. I was speaking to people on Halifax Road who said they’d support us wherever we went.”

“People on the doorsteps in Pendle said they’re never going to vote Labour while Keir Starmer is there. The whole community thinks what’s going on [regarding Gaza] is wrong. It’s across the board – not just Asian voters. I was speaking to people on Halifax Road who said they’d support us wherever we went.”

[Independent Pendle Councillor Naeem Ashraf]

Elections expert Sir John Curtice, in an article for the BBC, writes:

“There are though signs that Labour may have fallen back somewhat in places where many people identify as Muslim. This is most likely a reflection of their discontent with Labour’s stance on the war in Gaza.”

And according to analysis of local election results by Sky News, in areas with a Muslim population of 20% or more, Labour’s vote fell by almost 18%.

Pollster James Kanagasooriam, chief research officer at Focaldata, said on Sky News that the Labour vote had fallen “substantially” in areas with a large Muslim population.

Speaking on the BBC, Ava Santini comments that Labour’s “big weakness” is “their line on Palestine”. She mentions Wes Streeting’s constituency, Ilford North, as a place where the Party could lose: