There’s further fallout from the unacceptable stance taken by the Labour leadership on the Israeli bombardment of Gaza. The resignation last week of the leader of Burnley Borough Council and ten other Councillors in protest at Keir Starmer’s refusal to call for a ceasefire has led to Labour’s loss of control of the Council and the formation of a new power-sharing arrangement involving the new Burnley Independent Group, the Green Party and Liberal Democrats.

Six Labour councillors in Walsall have resigned from the Party, over the leadership line on Gaza, Including the Labour Group leader. In a statement, the six said, “We cannot in all conscience continue to be members of a party that is led by people who have become so passive to the deaths of so many innocent men, women and in particular children.”

Tower Hamlets Councillor Ayas Miah has also resigned from the Labour Party. Miah is a Councillor in the constituency of Rushanara Ali, a Labour frontbencher who abstained in this week’s ceasefire vote. He said, “We are not able to raise our concerns and demand a simple ceasefire.”

100 MPs have now signed the parliamentary motion calling for a ceasefire and at least 75 Labour MPs have now publicly backed a ceasefire.

Support Labour for a Ceasefire Now

To increase support within the Party for the calls for peace, Labour National Executive Committee (NEC) member Mish Rahman has launched the campaign, Labour for a Ceasefire Now.

Party members are encouraged to actively support this campaign, to sign its petition (here), and to forward information about the campaign (here) to as many Labour Party members as possible. This will assist Mish raise this call for peace at the NEC.

Zarah Sultana interview

Meanwhile Zarah Sultana MP has given a powerful interview to Novara Media for Islamophobia Awareness Month. She says that people in power within the Party give the impression they do not care about Islamophobia and do not seem to care about the concerns of Muslim communities and Muslim voters.

She recalls how the Forde report found a “hierarchy of racism” within the Party and calls for new independent inquiry into Labour Party Islamophobia. Mish Rahman recently wrote an article criticising Labour as Islamophobic and raising the same demand. 

A Labour Muslim Network survey in 2022 found a widespread perception of Islamophobia among Muslim Labour members of Party.

In the interview, Sultana also talks about the racist abuse directed towards her and talks about being depicted as an alien in her own Party and country. A number of MPs have expressed their solidarity with her.

Activities in solidarity with the plight of Palestinians continue this week. Saturday November 25th will see another mass demonstration in London.