2023-11-16 17:46:36
A few months before the next general elections, the Labor opposition is facing an unexpected crisis, after the rebellion of 56 MPs who defied a voting instruction by calling for an “immediate ceasefire”.
Eight members of the party’s Shadow Cabinet have resigned after voting for an amendment to the King’s Speech, tabled in Parliament by the Scottish National Party. The demand for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza went against leader Keir Starmer’s instruction, calling for a simple “humanitarian pause”. A total of 56 Labor MPs (out of 198) voted for this amendment. Two parliamentary aides have also resigned, in what looks like the first major challenge to Starmer’s authority since his arrival at the head of the party in 2020.
The matter is sensitive since the leader of the opposition took care to oust upon his arrival all members of the party who had made anti-Semitic remarks during the very controversial era of Jeremy Corbyn (2015-2020) . This time, the history of these resigning deputies is impeccable. This internal disagreement concerns only the party’s positioning in the face of Israel’s indiscriminate intervention in Gaza, in response to the massacre committed by Hamas soldiers on October 7.
The amendment, which was rejected by all MPs, said it had taken note of the “growing number of calls for a ceasefire, including from the UN Secretary-General, the Scottish First Minister, mayors London and Manchester, and 76% of the British public, according to polls.”
“You don’t expect me to tell you that my main concern is the management of the Labor Party rather than the fate of the hostages and innocent civilians dying in Gaza.”
A vote in the Commons must follow party guidelines
In addition to the ceasefire, also requested a few days earlier on the other side of the Channel by French President Emmanuel Macron, the amendment called for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages, and an end to the total siege of Gaza to enable the provision of medical supplies, food, fuel, electricity and water, as well as ensuring that international humanitarian law is respected.
Starmer’s amendment, calling for a simple “humanitarian pause”, was also rejected. The potential future Prime Minister quipped on ITV after this snub: “You don’t expect me to tell you that my main concern is about the management of the Labor Party rather than the fate of the hostages and innocent civilians who are dying in Gaza.”
The leader of the Labor Party believes that the members of his shadow cabinet (which is supposed to become the government in the event of victory next year) had the possibility of expressing themselves freely in favor of a ceasefire, but that ‘a vote in the Commons must systematically follow the instructions. They already knew that their resignation would be inevitable at the time of their vote.
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