Externally, the Labour Party appears to be flying; always ahead in the polls and well on the way to winning the next general election. Internally, it is in turmoil.
Rows have erupted over its response to events in the Middle East. The national Labour conference was in full swing during Hamas’ October 7th terrorist attacks on Israel. Leader Sir Keir Starmer was quick to call a spade a spade—or, in this case, to call an appalling terrorist attack an “appalling … terrorist attack”—and Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the party has “no time” for supporters cheering on Hamas. Starmer also appeared to suggest that Israel “does have that right” to cut off water and electricity from Gaza—a stance he has since rejected.
But even during this show of pro-Israeli unity, there were signs of the impending fallout; David Lammy, Labour’s foreign affairs spokesman, drew criticism for speaking alongside a Palestinian diplomat who said the slaughter of civilians by Hamas was “coming their way.”
Soon after this, a string of Muslim Labour councillors threatened to quit over “the lack of humanity being shown to Palestinians.” Some followed through with their threats, forcing Starmer to hold “crisis talks” with local leaders to stop him from losing complete control of local authorities.
This was just the beginning. Now, members of Labour’s front bench are publicly pressuring their leader to criticise the military actions of Israel. After numerous talks, he came out in favour of “humanitarian pauses.” Still, there are whispers that some shadow ministers could step down over the affair, which would shoot a hole through the impression of Starmer’s authority.
Reporting on one meeting that Starmer hoped would help heal divisions, The Daily Mail said:
Sources branded the meeting “tokenistic” and said there was still deep anger around an interview Sir Keir did … in which he appeared to justify Israel cutting off the water supply to civilians in Gaza.
A source at the showdown with Sir Keir said MPs were “livid” and frontbenchers could quit if he backed a ground invasion of Gaza by Israel. Another party insider described the mood among Muslim MPs as “awful” and warned that the Muslim vote could be hit, hampering Labour’s election chances.
Where his efforts to squash walk-outs haven’t resulted just in failure, they have also been deeply humiliating. In one particularly cringeworthy moment this week, a Cardiff mosque said Starmer “gravely misrepresented our congregants and the nature of the visit” which he advertised in an apparent attempt to show he was building back trust. Starmer’s visit is actually understood to have prompted anger in the local Muslim community due to his pro-Israel stance. The Muslim Council of Wales suggested the leader’s visit was sprung on the mosque and that its members “directly challenged” his views.
In trying to reach out, Starmer has further deepened divisions. The question, then, is whether anything he says from this point on will be enough to win the rebels back and, if not, how much more the party will crack.
