LONDON: A former Labour MP has warned that the UK’s governing party has a “problem” with its stance on Gaza that will affect it for years to come.
Thangam Debbonaire, a senior party figure who lost her seat last week during the UK’s general election, said “the lack of a strong narrative had consequences” for MPs, including her.
She told Channel 4 News: “It’s easy (for opponents) to craft a narrative that goes, ‘Your MP didn’t vote for a ceasefire’ if your own party hasn’t said, ‘We voted twice for a ceasefire.’”
Debbonaire had been the shadow secretary of state for culture, and was expected to take on the role following Labour’s victory in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s new government.
However, she was among a number of Labour MPs who lost their seats, with four new pro-Palestine independents elected to parliament, and Debbonaire losing to a Green Party candidate in her Bristol constituency, with Israel’s campaign in Gaza a key issue for voters.
Debbonaire said her seat was “collateral damage” as a result of Labour not being more vocal about Israel’s war in Gaza
“Others will be too, or they’re going to have to spend the entire parliament in their constituencies, working their constituencies, trying to rebuild trust,” she added. “We’re storing up trouble for those colleagues who did make it over the line.”
