Keir Starmer says ceasefire in Gaza isn’t ‘correct position’
The Labour Party has suffered a surprise council defeat in east London, with voters turning against the party following its pro-Israel stance.
A council by-election in Newham last night saw the Labour vote share collapse a whopping 39.1 percent.
They were defeated by ex-Labour member Sophia Naqvi, who resigned from the party a month ago over its “persistent failure” to call for a ceasefire.
Ms Naqvi took 46.3 percent of the vote in the Plaistow North ward.
The London borough of Newham has the second-highest percentage of Muslims in the UK, according to the 2011 census, at 32 percent of the population.
READ MORE: School children bunk off to target Labour MP’s office in pro-Palestine march
The Newham Independents, from whom Ms Naqvi stood, campaigned overtly on the issue of Palestine and Israel in the by-election, with social media graphics urging electors to vote for Sophia on the grounds of “humanity, justice and independence”.
In contrast, they said Labour should be rejected and voters should oppose “moral, social and financial injustice”.
The unofficial party celebrated the result, which represents a warning to Labour in its metropolitan heartlands following the Gaza row.
It said: “We are so Proud to Announce that Sophia Naqvi has been Elected as the New Independent Councillor for Plaistow North.
“Thank you to the Residents of Plaistow North who have placed their Trust in Sophia.”
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Ms Naqvi, who had served as a Labour Party official since 2014 prior to her resignation over Gaza, said she had quit the party over Keir Starmer’s “comments on the Israel-Palestine war”.
In her resignation letter, she wrote: “Seeing the Labour Party’s deviation from its core values of equality, social justice and fairness, the Labour Party under Keir Starmer’s leadership has moved far away from the volunteers and activists who generously give their time to support and enhance our local communities.
“Therefore, we have decided to leave and resign from the Labour Party to show solidarity and support with the Palestinian people.”
Newham has been the scene of multiple resignations from the party since Hamas attacked Israel, with other councillors and several party officers quitting.
Labour won every seat in Newham at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 council elections.
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