LONDON: Labour will not punish shadow Cabinet members for breaking party ranks by demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas because it is a “diverse party,” a shadow minister has suggested.
The remarks were made by Peter Kyle — shadow science, innovation and technology minister — in an interview with Sky News on Sunday.
Labour’s position, set by Starmer, has called for a “humanitarian pause” to allow the opening of aid channels into the besieged Gaza Strip.
At least 12 shadow ministers, including Afzal Khan, Rushanara Ali, Andy Slaughter, Jess Phillips and Florence Eshalomi, have ignored the party line and called for a ceasefire.
The breaking of ranks by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, and leader of the Scottish Labour Party Anas Sarwar, took place on Friday as more than 250 Muslim councilors signed a joint letter to Starmer and his deputy, Angela Rayner, pushing for a ceasefire.
Khan, who became London’s first Muslim mayor in 2016, reportedly warned Starmer on Thursday that he would release a video on social media expressing his support for a ceasefire. Starmer asked him to reconsider but was ignored, The Guardian reported.
“It is a strength of the Labour Party because we’re probably the most diverse political party in Europe,” Kyle told Sky News. “It is a strength of the Labour Party that within our party, we have people who have a lived connection to both sides in this conflict. And they express their views absolutely forthrightly, as they should.”
He added: “Keir has listened to those and looked at the situation on the ground and he has come up with a way forward that meets the challenges being faced by people in Gaza today.”
Last week, Starmer met over a dozen Muslim politicians who said the Labour leader’s position on the war in Gaza was causing distress to many in the party.
Starmer’s comments in an interview with LBC, in which he stated that “Israel has the right” to cut off power and water to Gaza, had prompted resignations from councilors.
One person who attended the meeting said Starmer acknowledged the amount of “work to be done” in regaining the trust of Muslim voters. They said that they believed the leadership would continue to adjust their position to align with international leaders, depending on the severity of the crisis.
When asked whether Labour was taking Muslim votes for granted, Kyle told Sky News: “We’re not thinking how do we win votes or what votes we will lose at a time when there is war and conflict unfolding … Everybody has the legitimate right in a democratic society as ours … What Hamas did was wrong and we stand on the side of Israel within international law to defend itself.”
