Pat McFadden slams Labour’s Azhar Ali’s ‘appalling’ claim Israel allowed 7 October attack

The Labour Party’s UK campaign co-ordinator Pat McFadden has slammed Rochdale candidate Azhar Ali for comments he is alleged to have made about the 7 October Israel attack.

Mr Ali has apologised after he reportedly said Israel had been warned about the 7 October attack and allowed it to happen.

The Labour Party has issued a statement on behalf of the candidate after the Mail on Sunday published comments from a recording of him telling the Lancashire Labour party that Israel had warned of the attack before it happened, but they “deliberately took the security off”.

Appearing on the Laura Kuenssberg Show on Sunday (11 February), Mr McFadden, who has been a Labour MP for more than 20 years, described Mr Ali’s claims as “appalling” and insisted they do not “represent the Labour Party”.