Local Labour Leaders Demand Keir Starmer Resign Over Gaza

Labour council leaders from Burnley and Pendle in Lancashire have intensified the call for party leader Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation, due to his refusal to advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Statements were issued Friday by Pendle council leader Asjad Mahmood and Burnley council leader Afrasiab Anwar on behalf of their party colleagues on both councils.

Anwar said: “I and colleagues across Burnley over the last few weeks have seen the sad loss of people including young children in Palestine and Israel and this has to stop immediately.”

The statement continued: “I joined the Labour Party because of the values of standing up and speaking out against injustices across the world. Sadly, Keir Starmer has not stood up for Labour values, hence why we are calling upon him to step down.”

Taking his critique a step further Anwar accused Starmer of “blindly following the position of Mr. Sunak is not acceptable to us and our residents who we represent.”

Despite

Starmer’s attempt to clarify his position in a dedicated address at Chatham House on Tuesday, there remains growing internal party discord as he grapples with a fractured shadow cabinet and escalating party member backlash.

Prominent Labour figures, including London mayor Sadiq Khan and Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, have publicly opposed Starmer’s position on the issue and called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Starmer has sided with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the United States, and the European Union in advocating for “humanitarian pauses” amidst the ongoing hostilities, which they claim is different from a ceasefire in that it coincides with support for Israel’s self-defence rights against Hamas.