Sir Keir Starmer seeks to clarify Gaza remarks following backlash from Labour councillors

Published

1 year ago

October 20, 2023

admin

Sir Keir Starmer has sought to clarify remarks he made about Israel’s decision to limit supplies to Gaza after they sparked concern and even resignations among Labour councillors.

The Labour leader reiterated today that Israel had a “right to self-defence”, but said that did not mean it should withhold humanitarian aid to Gaza, which is home to 2.2 million civilians.

In the immediate days after Hamas launched its surprise attack on 7 October, Sir Keir gave an interview to LBC in which he appeared to suggest that Israel had a right to limit essential supplies, including water and electricity, to Gaza.

Politics latest: Starmer says Labour ‘humble’ in victory as leaked messages reveal Tory dismay

In the widely shared clip, the Labour leader was asked what a “proportionate” response would look like, to which Sir Keir replied that responsibility “lies with Hamas” and that Israel “has the right to defend herself”.

Presenter Nick Ferrari interjected: “A siege is appropriate? Cutting off power, cutting off water?”

The Labour leader replied: “I think that Israel does have that right. It is an ongoing situation.”

He added: “Obviously everything should be done within international law, but I don’t want to step away from the core principles that Israel has a right to defend herself and Hamas bears responsibility for the terrorist acts.”

Sir Keir’s comments sparked criticism among some Labour councillors, several of whom resigned over his remarks – including Amna Abdullatif, the first Arab Muslim woman elected to Manchester City Council, Russell Whiting in Colwick, Nottinghamshire, and Mona Ahmed, a Labour councillor in Kensington and Chelsea.

A source with knowledge of the situation told Sky News that councillors wanted an apology and retraction from Sir Keir and that the anger was “palpable”.

This morning a number of pro-Palestine activists held a protest outside the Labour Party’s headquarters in London over Sir Keir’s previous comments.

But speaking today, the Labour leader denied he had suggested withholding supplies was appropriate, saying: “I know that LBC clip has been widely shared and caused real concern and distress in some Muslim communities so let me be clear about what I was saying and what I wasn’t saying.

“I was saying that Israel has the right to self-defence, and when I said that right I meant it was that right to self-defence. I was not saying that Israel had the right to cut off water, food, fuel or medicines.

“On the contrary. For over a week now, I have been leading the charge calling for that humanitarian aid to come in.

“We all know there are innocent civilians in Gaza in a humanitarian crisis, a million children that aid urgently needs to get in.

“So I was saying yes, they have the right to self-defence – that right they do have – but not the right to withhold that humanitarian aid that needs to get in. It is now absolutely urgent.”

In a bid to address the concern, Sir Keir wrote to Labour councillors earlier this week in which he expressed sympathy for the situation of civilians living inside Gaza.

In the letter, seen by Sky News, the Labour leader said Gaza was facing a “humanitarian emergency”.

“This is an urgent situation and innocent Palestinians need to know the world is not simply watching, but acting, to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe,” he added.

The discontent felt among some councillors is understood to be shared by some Labour MPs, a number of whom backed an early-day motion in parliament calling for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas.

Sky News has seen a letter written to MPs by Labour’s chief whip, Sir Alan Campbell, in which he tells them to be cautious about going to vigils related to Palestinians.

Sir Alan said “colleagues should use their own judgement about whether or not to attend” community events and vigils.

But he said MPs should be “especially careful not to put themselves in a position where they could be seen to share a platform with, or are close to, people that would undermine the Labour Party in any way”.

In a sign of possible discontent with the positions adopted by the government and Labour, 59 MPs have now signed an early day motion calling for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas.

Both the Tories and Labour have dismissed calls for a ceasefire.

In response to a question from the SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, the prime minster said Israel has a “right to defend itself, to protect its people and to act against terrorism and ensure that the awful attack we’ve seen from Hamas cannot happen again”.

Politics

Wolf Capital co-founder pleads guilty to $9.4M Ponzi, promised 547% returns

Published

3 hours ago

January 11, 2025

admin

Wolf Capital co-founder pleads guilty to .4M Ponzi, promised 547% returns

According to the US Department of Justice, Wolf Capital’s co-founder has pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for luring 2,800 crypto investors into a Ponzi scheme.

Politics

Rachel Reeves lands in China amid pressure to cancel trip over market turmoil

Published

5 hours ago

January 11, 2025

admin

Rachel Reeves lands in China amid pressure to cancel trip over market turmoil

Making Britain better off will be “at the forefront of the chancellor’s mind” during her visit to China, the Treasury has said amid controversy over the trip.

Rachel Reeves flew out on Friday after ignoring calls from opposition parties to cancel the long-planned venture because of market turmoil at home.

The past week has seen a drop in the pound and an increase in government borrowing costs, which has fuelled speculation of more spending cuts or tax rises.

The Tories have accused the chancellor of having “fled to China” rather than explain how she will fix the UK’s flatlining economy, while the Liberal Democrats say she should stay in Britain and announce a “plan B” to address market volatility.

However, Ms Reeves has rejected calls to cancel the visit, writing in The Times on Friday night that choosing not to engage with China is “no choice at all”.

👉 Click here to follow Electoral Dysfunction wherever you get your podcasts 👈

The chancellor will be accompanied by Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey and other senior executives.

She will meet with her counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng, in Beijing on Saturday to discuss financial services, trade and investment.

She will also “raise difficult issues”, including Chinese firms supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and concerns over constraints on rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, the Treasury said.

But it did not mention whether Ms Reeves would raise the treatment of the Uyghur community, which Downing Street said Foreign Secretary David Lammy would do during his visit last year.

On Friday, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy defended the trip, telling Sky News that the climbing cost of government borrowing was a “global trend” that had affected many countries, “most notably the United States”.

“We are still on track to be the fastest growing economy, according to the OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] in Europe,” she told Anna Jones on Sky News Breakfast.

“China is the second-largest economy, and what China does has the biggest impact on people from Stockton to Sunderland, right across the UK, and it’s absolutely essential that we have a relationship with them.”

Read more – Ed Conway analysis: The chancellor’s gamble with China

However, former prime minister Boris Johnson said Ms Reeves had “been rumbled” and said she should “make her way to HR and collect her P45 – or stay in China”.

While in the country’s capital, Ms Reeves will also visit British bike brand Brompton’s flagship store, which relies heavily on exports to China, before heading to Shanghai for talks with representatives across British and Chinese businesses.

It is the first UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) since 2019, building on the Labour government’s plan for a “pragmatic” policy with the world’s second-largest economy.

Sir Keir Starmer was the first British prime minister to meet with China’s President Xi Jinping in six years at the G20 summit in Brazil last autumn.

Relations between the UK and China have become strained over the last decade as the Conservative government spoke out against human rights abuses and concerns grew over national security risks.

Navigating this has proved tricky given China is the UK’s fourth largest single trading partner, with a trade relationship worth almost £113bn and exports to China supporting over 455,000 jobs in the UK in 2020, according to the government.

During the Tories’ 14 years in office, the approach varied dramatically from the “golden era” under David Cameron to hawkish aggression under Liz Truss, while Rishi Sunak vowed to be “robust” but resisted pressure from his own party to brand China a threat.

The Treasury said a stable relationship with China would support economic growth and that “making working people across Britain secure and better off is at the forefront of the chancellor’s mind”.

Ahead of her visit, Ms Reeves said: “By finding common ground on trade and investment, while being candid about our differences and upholding national security as the first duty of this government, we can build a long-term economic relationship with China that works in the national interest.”