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Starmer left reeling after rebellion over Gaza vote

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Keir Starmer sucking up to the rich and powerful at World Economic Forum, Davos.
Keir Starmer sucking up to the rich and powerful at World Economic Forum, Davos.

https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/sir-keir-left-reeling-after-rebellion-over-gaza-vote

Ten frontbenchers among 56 Labour MPs to defy Starmer and back immediate ceasefire

… KEIR STARMER was reeling today after facing the biggest rebellion of his leadership over his backing for Israel’s continuing war on Gaza.

Ten frontbenchers were among 56 Labour MPs backing a Commons amendment urging an immediate ceasefire, nearly a third of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

The front-bench rebels who did not resign were immediately sacked by the vindictive Sir Keir, as 15,000 peace demonstrators rallied outside the Commons chanting “No ceasefire, no vote,” in a warning to politicians.

Prominent among those voting for peace was Jess Phillips, an MP on the right of the party who stood for the leadership in 2020.

She wrote to Sir Keir explaining that continuing war puts “at risk the hope of peace and security for anyone in the region now and in the future” and added on local radio today that she had voted with “my heart, my head and my constituents.”

The other shadow ministers who either quit or were sacked were Paula Barker, Rachel Hopkins, Afzal Khan, Sarah Owen, Yasmin Qureshi, Naz Shah and Andy Slaughter.

Two parliamentary private secretaries, Dan Carden and Mary Foy also resigned. Shadow minister Imran Hussain resigned last week.

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https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/sir-keir-left-reeling-after-rebellion-over-gaza-vote

Continue ReadingStarmer left reeling after rebellion over Gaza vote

EXCLUSIVE: Caroline Lucas says Labour is on ‘wrong side of history’ over Gaza ceasefire

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Caroline Lucas Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion. Official image by David Woolfall Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
Caroline Lucas Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion. Official image by David Woolfall Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/exclusive-caroline-lucas-says-labour-is-on-wrong-side-of-history-over-gaza-ceasefire/?mc_cid=2a5e877d84

The Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has said that Labour is on the ‘wrong side of history’ after last night’s House of Commons vote on a ceasefire in Gaza. MPs were asked to vote on an SNP amendment to the King’s Speech which called on the UK government to “join with the international community in urgently pressing all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire”.

Despite 56 of Keir Starmer’s MPs breaking ranks and voting for the amendment, Labour whipped its parliamentarians to abstain.

Speaking to Left Foot Forward as part of an exclusive interview reflecting on her 13 years in parliament which will be published in full tomorrow, Caroline Lucas said: “I think it was incredibly disappointing that Labour is on the wrong side of history on this”.

Labour’s position is that Israel should allow ‘humanitarian pauses’ in order for aid to enter Gaza. Lucas told Left Foot Forward why she thinks this approach is wrong. She said: “I used to work for Oxfam and I’m really struck by the fact that how so many of those international NGOs are talking about just why humanitarian pauses are simply not up to the job”, later adding: “the scale of the suffering and the killing and the horror that is happening in Gaza right now [isn’t] all going to be solved by humanitarian pauses – it has to be a ceasefire.”

Lucas continued: “People like Oxfam are pointing out that in order to get aid in in any significant quantities, some of the roads are broken now so they need to be able to mend some of the infrastructure even to get aid in to the people who need it. So I very much hope that Labour will listen to people on the ground who are really calling for a ceasefire.”

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/exclusive-caroline-lucas-says-labour-is-on-wrong-side-of-history-over-gaza-ceasefire/?mc_cid=2a5e877d84

Continue ReadingEXCLUSIVE: Caroline Lucas says Labour is on ‘wrong side of history’ over Gaza ceasefire

Keir Starmer loses eight frontbenchers in major rebellion over Gaza ceasefire

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Keir Starmer sucking up to the rich and powerful at World Economic Forum, Davos.
Keir Starmer sucking up to the rich and powerful at World Economic Forum, Davos.

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/keir-starmer-loses-eight-frontbenchers-in-major-rebellion-over-gaza-ceasefire/

Eight frontbenchers quit the Labour Party last night, in a major blow to Labour leader Keir Starmer over the party’s stance on a ceasefire in Gaza.

The major rebellion occurred as more than a quarter of Labour’s MPs defied Starmer to support an immediate cessation in the fighting. Among the most high profile names choosing to defy the Labour leadership was Jess Phillips, who joined colleagues including Yasmin Qureshi, Afzal Khan and Paula Barker in quitting on Wednesday evening after deciding to support the SNP amendment to the King’s Speech backing a ceasefire.

Four other frontbenchers: Rachel Hopkins, Sarah Owen, Naz Shah and Andy Slaughter, have also left the front bench after breaking the party whip to back the amendment. Mary Foy, Angela Rayner’s parliamentary private secretary (PPS), and Dan Carden, another PPS, have also left the frontbench.

Overall, 56 Labour MPs voted in favour of a ceasefire.

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/keir-starmer-loses-eight-frontbenchers-in-major-rebellion-over-gaza-ceasefire/

Continue ReadingKeir Starmer loses eight frontbenchers in major rebellion over Gaza ceasefire

Supreme court sinks shameful Rwanda scheme

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https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/supreme-court-sinks-shameful-rwanda-scheme

Toufique Hossain, director of public law and immigration at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, (centre) with his legal team outside the Supreme Court in London. Picture date: Wednesday November 15, 2023.

PITILESS Tory plans to deport refugees to Rwanda were ruled illegal by the Supreme Court today, plunging Rishi Sunak’s government deeper into chaos.

The court determined that Rwanda was not a safe destination for asylum-seekers and that there was a high risk of them being returned to their country of origin to be tortured or worse, thus torpedoing what is a flagship Tory policy.

The defiant Prime Minister pledged to fight on to stop destitute refugees crossing the Channel, responding to the judgement by asserting that “illegal migration destroys lives and costs British taxpayers millions of pounds a year. We need to end it and we will do whatever it takes to do so.”

He later claimed that the judges had agreed that the “principle of removing asylum-seekers to a safe third country is lawful” and told MPs he was ready to “revisit” UK laws to block migration if necessary and to seek a fresh treaty with Rwanda.

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Labour ducked the moral issues raised by the policy, with leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper focusing instead on the waste of money and time involved in the failed Rwanda policy.

The judges’ decision was, however, welcomed by a wide range of human rights campaigners.

Amnesty International’s Sacha Deshmukh said: “The government must now draw a line under a disgraceful chapter in the UK’s political history.

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https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/supreme-court-sinks-shameful-rwanda-scheme

Continue ReadingSupreme court sinks shameful Rwanda scheme

‘It’s time Keir Starmer showed some humanity’

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https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/it-time-keir-starmer-showed-some-humanity

A wounded Palestinian baby receives treatment at the al-Shifa hospital, following Israeli air strikes on Gaza City, central Gaza Strip, October 23, 2023

Labour leader told to back Gaza ceasefire in Wednesday’s Commons vote

PEACE and labour movements across Britain have told Sir Keir Starmer to back a Gaza ceasefire in Wednesday’s Commons vote.

The Labour leader faces a further challenge to his endorsement of Israel’s onslaught on the Palestinians when MPs vote on an amendment demanding an immediate ceasefire.

Thousands of peace protesters are also set to rally outside the Commons Wednesday to ensure that MPs get the message that British support for the Gaza attack must end now.

More than 100 MPs of all parties have signed a cross-party letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calling on him to “support a ceasefire, end the horrendous levels of killing of civilians and find a political path to lasting peace for the region.”

Sir Keir risks losing up to 18 members of his front-bench team, who are already on record as supporting a ceasefire, while the Labour leader calls for no more than “humanitarian pauses” in the conflict.

Labour whips were understood to be frantically scrambling to minimise the rebellion last night by trying to find parliamentary diversions to head off or dilute a straight vote on a ceasefire.

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https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/it-time-keir-starmer-showed-some-humanity

Continue Reading‘It’s time Keir Starmer showed some humanity’