Just a few weeks ago Keir Starmer’s party was projecting an image of unity. Labour was 20 points ahead in the polls, and Starmer had led a successful and smooth party conference. But since the conflict in the Middle East has worsened, and the death toll has risen, that unity has cracked.
Shaista Aziz is a Labour councillor in Oxford – one of eight who have resigned from the party after an interview Starmer gave in which he said that Israel had the right to withhold water and power from Palestinians. Ten days later he clarified his words, saying he had only meant Israel had a right to defend itself. But, Shaista says, the damage was done – and many Labour voters felt betrayed that the leader could be so careless with his words.
The Guardian’s political correspondent Aletha Adu explains how the row has unfolded, and why the decision about whether to call for a ceasefire is now controversial. The Labour leadership has called for humanitarian pauses. Yet mayors, MPs and even shadow ministers have defied this party line to call for a full ceasefire. How damaging could this split become and what does it mean for Labour’s electoral hopes?
Photograph: Guy Smallman/Getty Images
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