Labour 'taking grassroots for granted over Gaza ceasefire call' as revolt grows

06 November 2023 , 10:05

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The Labour leader faces a growing revolt as he defies calls to back a ceasefire in Gaza (Image: PA)

Pleas to Keir Starmer to call for a ceasefire in Gaza “fell on deaf ears” - forcing 11 councillors to quit Labour, one rebel revealed today.

Afrasiab Anwar blamed the party chief’s refusal to back demands for a halt to Israel’s retaliation against Hamas for a string of activists quitting. Burnley Council leader Mr Anwar and 10 other councillors jointly decided to leave Labour - describing their memberships as "untenable" given the leadership's ongoing defiance over a ceasefire in the Middle East.

Mr Anwar accused Mr Starmer of taking Labour’s grassroots, including Muslim voters, “for granted” by ignoring their calls. “The feeling in our communities, across the country, right across the nation, was that people wanted to see a ceasefire because of what was unfolding on our screens, what we were seeing every single day - people wanted to see a ceasefire,” he told the BBC. “We were trying to get that through to the party, we tried absolutely everything and we felt we could affect change by being inside the party, being part of the system and change policy. But everything we said just fell on deaf ears.”

Burnley Council leader Afrasiab Anwar blasted Keir Starmer as he announced he was quitting Labour (Lancs Live)

Warning of the “humanitarian crisis, the catastrophe unfolding”, Mr Anwar said as the Opposition, “the least the Labour Party should be doing is actually pushing for a ceasefire so we can see peace in the region”.

Urging Mr Starmer to pile pressure on Rishi Sunak, he added: “The Labour Party don’t seem to be opposing on anything. If the Leader of the Opposition and the party in opposition is asking for a ceasefire, it will put pressure on the Government who will then be speaking to those international partners, including Israel and Qatar and others and America, who will be able to push for a ceasefire.”

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Mr Anwar said he joined Labour because “it was a party that spoke out against injustices right across the world, that was about equality and fairness and social justice”. “We’re just not seeing that, we need to be speaking out when we see something that’s not right,” he added. “What seems to be happening at the moment is that the Labour Party will say and do anything just to win elections. Are they taking the Muslim vote for granted or certain communities for granted? I think it’s wider than that, I think they are taking the grassroots for granted and not listening to the voices of people on the ground.”

Israel’s Defence Forces have launched a ground invasion of Gaza after 1,400 Israelis were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists in a series of attacks launched on October 7. Palestinian health officials say more than 9,700 people have been killed in the Strip since Hamas’ atrocities.

At least 18 Labour frontbenchers have broken collective responsibility to demand or repost calls for a ceasefire. The party leader tried to quell the rebellion last week with a speech to the Chatham House foreign affairs think tank. But he refused to say that shadow ministers who ignored his pleas to end infighting would be disciplined.

"It is for me to address collective responsibility, I recognise that,” he admitted. "It matters and I take that duty extremely seriously, but I put it in the context of understanding what is driving people in the call for a ceasefire, which is in my judgement not the call that we should be making as things stand."

Hamas would be "emboldened" by a ceasefire and start preparing more atrocities, the Labour leader said. "While I understand calls for a ceasefire at this stage, I do not believe that it is the correct position now,” he told guests. A ceasefire always freezes any conflict in the state where it currently lies and, as we speak, that would leave Hamas with the infrastructure and the capabilities to carry out the sort of attack we saw on October 7 - attacks that are still ongoing; hostages who should be released, still held. Hamas would be emboldened and start preparing for future violence immediately."

Ben Glaze