Keir Starmer must resign over Gaza stance, say two Labour council chiefs

Local authority bosses say they want ‘someone to lead who has compassion’

Two Labour council leaders have called on Keir Starmer to quit as party leader over his refusal to back a ceasefire in Gaza.

Burnley Council leader Afrasiab Anwar and leader of Pendle Borough Council Asjad Mahmood said they were asking for the resignation on behalf of outraged councillors in their areas.

It comes as Sir Keir – under growing pressure to change his stance from MPs, mayors, devolved leaders, councillors and members – prepares to make a speech in County Durham on Friday.

Mr Anwar said Mr Starmer had “sadly not stood up for Labour values” since the Hamas terror attack and Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

The Burnley Council chief added: “Blindly following the position of Rishi Sunak is not acceptable to us and our residents who we represent.”

Mr Mahmood said Sir Keir had “unfortunately failed to listen” to Labour calls to back a Gaza ceasefire to “stop the innocent loss of lives”.

He added: “We ask he consider his position and resign to allow someone to lead our party who has compassion and speaks out against injustice and indiscriminate killing of innocent human beings.”

Sixteen of Sir Keir’s rontbenchers have now either called for a ceasefire or shared others’ calls backing a ceasefire on social media – including Yasmin Qureshi, Jess Phillips and Imran Hussain.

Ms Phillips on Thursday said Israel’s military action against Hamas will only end in “death and destruction” and called for the negotiation of “peaceful political solutions”.

Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar said Starmer were ‘hurtful’ (PA Wire)

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said Sir Keir’s initial response to Israel’s bombardment lacked “empathy” and “humanity”, according to a leaked account of a meeting of MSPs and the Labour Muslim Network.

Mr Sarwar – who has defied Sir Keir’s stance by calling for a ceasefire – also told the gathering that a “repair job” with Muslim voters would be required “every day” until the general election, the Daily Record reported.

But New Labour mastermind Peter Mandelson described the push from senior Labour figures to back a ceasefire as “ridiculous” – insisting that “we have to defeat cold blooded murderers”.

Sir Keir continues to resisted calls for a ceasefire in Gaza – arguing that the terrorist group Hamas would be “emboldened” by such as move.

Sobia Malik, a Lancashire County councillor, is the latest to announce her resignation from Labour over the row. She said Sir Keir’s “inability” to “demonstrate empathy or compassion, let alone challenge war crimes, has made my membership untenable”.

Meanwhile, the left-wing MP suspended by Labour over what the party said were “deeply offensive” comments at a pro-Palestine rally is threatening legal action against a Conservative MP.

Andy McDonald, the MP for Middlesbrough, has accused the Tory MP Chris Clarkson of “highly defamatory” accusations that he had sought to “justify” Hamas’ attack on Israel.

Sir Keir will try later to turn attention back the Tories, with a speech addressing businesses at the North East Chamber of Commerce.

He is expected to say: “We have to provide the businesses, communities and people of this nation with the conditions to succeed … The Tories can’t do this. Rishi Sunak is too weak to stand up to the blockers on his backbenches.”

It comes after the Bank of England on Thursday downgraded its forecast for economic growth to zero until 2025, putting in doubt the PM’s pledge to get the economy growing by the end of the year.

Mr Sunak has said the King’s Speech, which is expected to set the tone for a general election next year, will focus on measures to “grow the economy, to strengthen society and to keep people safe”.