Could the Gaza ceasefire row cost Labour the next election?

With the fallout from the Commons vote on supporting a ceasefire in Gaza revealing significant dissent on the opposition benches, Sean O’Grady looks at the ramifications for Keir Starmer of leading a party that seems to be anything but united

Keir Starmer has rejected calls for a ceasefire because he genuinely doesn’t believe it would be the right policy (UK Parliament/AFP/Getty)

Although Labour had been remarkably united on the Israel-Hamas war, the intensifying conflict and some crucial votes in the House of Commons have revealed dissent and division, and to an unexpected degree. Jess Phillips was the highest-profile figure among 10 frontbenchers to quit or be sacked from their roles as Keir Starmer faced a sizeable rebellion over his refusal to back a ceasefire in Gaza. Altogether, 56 Labour MPs voted for an SNP amendment calling for a ceasefire.

Why has Keir Starmer decided to adopt this stance on the ceasefire?

First, he rejects calls for a ceasefire because he genuinely doesn’t believe it would be the right policy. Labour’s delicately constructed policy was laid out in the party’s motion (amendment) to the King’s Speech, and includes a call for longer humanitarian pauses and for Israel to obey international law.