As tens of thousands of protestors chanted “shame” outside Parliament and the Labour front bench timidly pushed for a short pause in Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, ten Labour frontbenchers and nearly 50 backbenchers defied the Labour whip and voted for a Scottish National Party amendment calling for a ceasefire.

Naz Shah MP was the first Shadow Minister to publicly commit to vote for the ceasefire amendment, saying, “Despite all the risks to our personal positions we must do what is right.”

She was joined by Yasmin Qureshi who resigned as Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities and criticised Keir Starmer’s proposal for ‘pauses’. Qureshi tweeted just before MPs began voting: “The scale of bloodshed in Gaza is unprecedented. Tonight, I will vote for an immediate ceasefire. We must call for an end to the carnage to protect innocents lives and end human suffering. With regret, I have stepped down as Shadow Women and Equalities Minister.”

Afzal Khan MP also resigned as a Shadow Minister, tweeting: “Today, I will be voting for the motion calling on the UK Govt to support a #CeasefireNow in Gaza. With 11,000+ Gazans killed, supporting a full & immediate ceasefire is the very least we can do. In order to be free to do so, I have stepped down as Shadow Minister for Exports.”

Paula Barker MP,  Shadow Minister for Devolution and the English Nations, also quit, saying she was voting for her conscience, and that a bilateral ceasefire with hostages released would provide “space for cool heads to come together.”

Deputy leader Angela Rayner’s Parliamentary Private Secretary Mary Foy MP also voted for a ceasefire, as did Shadow Minister for Faith and Local Communities Sarah Owen and Shadow Minister Rachel Hopkins MP.

The rejection of Starmer’s inhumane line was bigger than the usual left wing rebellion. Jess Phillips MP was among those who voted for the ceasefire motion.

The ten frontbenchers who voted for a ceasefire were Paula Barker, Naz Shah, Afzal Khan, Yasmin Qureshi, Mary Kelly Foy, Rachel Hopkins, Sarah Owen, Dan Carden, Andy Slaughter and Jess Phillips.

Helen Hayes MP spoke in the debate for ceasefire, but didn’t vote for the amendment.

Keir Starmer’s amendment, aimed primarily at reducing the scale of the rebellion on the Labour benches, was also defeated. Kate Dove, Momentum Co-Chair, characterised it accurately when she said: “Keir Starmer sits on the fence while Gaza’s hospitals are turned into morgues and children are buried beneath the rubble. In his amendment, Starmer bemoans the deaths of thousands of innocent Palestinians civilians and children – but doesn’t call for the bombing to stop. He expresses a wish to see an end to the violence – but backs it restarting after a brief pause. He makes empty appeals to international law – but doesn’t call out Israel’s blatant war crimes in Gaza. This amendment will do nothing to stem the righteous anger of millions of Labour voters who are appalled to see an avowedly progressive, internationalist party sit back instead of standing up for peace. While Starmer has been forced by Labour members, councillors, MPs, Mayors and supporters to abandon his previous support for Israel’s siege, this is all too little, far too late.”

There are now 56 backbench Labour MPs who have publicly backed a ceasefire – around 60% of all backbench Labour MPs. Some unexpected names feature in their number – Stella Creasy, Liam Byrne and Stephen Timms, for example. There were some strong speeches in the debate yesterday, from Afzal Khan MP, Naz Shah MP and Zarah Sultana MP in particular, who also wrote a powerful article in Tribune ahead of the vote.

Of the 21 frontbenchers who have publicly backed a ceasefire, 11 have now resigned. It should also be noted that a number of MPs who support a ceasefire were absent from the vote last night due to illness or other parliamentary commitments.

Keir Starmer may feel he has asserted his authority by imposing a three-line whip on the vote, but others think it smacks of folly. Journalist Jonathan Lis tweeted: “Starmer’s big show of strength was pure stupidity. There could’ve been a free vote without harming his authority at all. Instead of focusing on Rwanda disaster we’re discussing Labour splits. Worst of all, soon US will demand ceasefire & then Starmer will have to back it himself.”

This last point is telling. For all his contorted justifications for a ‘humanitarian pause’ – a position forcefully rejected by all the key agencies and charities in the field – it’s clear that the UK Government and its loyal Opposition are taking their lead entirely from the US Administration, their default position on this area of policy.

Main image: Palestine solidarity protest in London, November 4th 2023. c/o Labour Hub. Inset image: c/o Labour Muslim Network.