Sir Keir Starmer to submit Labour Israel-Hamas amendment to Commons amid worries over party unity
Labour will put forward an amendment to parliament on Wednesday that will give MPs a vote on the Israel-Hamas war, the party has said.
A spokesperson confirmed the move amid concerns some Labour MPs could be tempted to vote for a rival SNP amendment that would expose divisions within the party.
They said the amendment “reaffirms the position” set out by Sir Keir Starmer and reflected the party’s concerns regarding the status of Israeli hostages, the “insufficient” amount of aid and utilities entering and being distributed in Gaza, the scale of civilian casualties and the amount of violence on the West Bank.
The spokesman hinted that if the the House of Commons Speaker selects the party’s amendment, Labour MPs will be ordered to abstain on the SNP amendment.
“We’re not going to be engaging with the party political game-playing by the SNP in parliament,” they said.
Labour has been divided over its approach to the conflict, with numerous backbenchers and shadow ministers calling for a ceasefire.
But the leadership has stood by its own calls for so-called humanitarian pauses to allow aid and supplies to get into the Gaza Strip – echoing the position of the government.
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The discord within Labour has been ramped up by the prospect of the SNP amendment being presented to parliament on Wednesday, giving all MPs an opportunity to vote in favour of a ceasefire – if it is selected by the Speaker.
Such a vote could highlight the level of upset on Sir Keir’s backbenches, with rumours even shadow ministers could rebel against Labour’s official position.
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Labour insiders made it clear to Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby that if frontbenchers defied the party position and voted with the SNP, they would have to stand down.
And one Labour source also told Sky News: “The order at the moment is if you’re on the frontbench and you vote for [the SNP amendment] you won’t be on the frontbench anymore.”
Another party source said a number of ministers may resign in advance, adding: “Maybe [a Labour amendment] will be enough for some, but it won’t be enough for a lot.”
But it doesn’t appear to be stopping backbenchers from offering their support to the SNP motion.
Former shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, told Sky News: “I will be voting along with several colleagues for a ceasefire and therefore for the SNP amendment if no other is called by the Speaker.
“I don’t think he will call any other but the SNP’s so I will be voting for that.”
Sir Keir’s position on a ceasefire in Gaza has followed much of the international community, including the UK and US governments.
Speaking at an event a fortnight ago where he attempted to draw a line under the mutiny in his party, the Labour leader said a ceasefire “always freezes any conflict in the state where it currently lies”.
He added: “That would leave Hamas with the infrastructure and the capabilities to carry out the sort of attack we saw on 7 October.
“Attacks that are still ongoing. Hostages who should be released still held. Hamas would be emboldened and start preparing for future violence immediately.”
However, a number of councillors have quit the party over his stance, and one shadow minister, Imran Hussain, also resigned from his post.
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Earlier in the Commons, there appeared to be little shift in position from shadow foreign secretary David Lammy.
He said the current short pauses in the Israel-Hamas conflict were “clearly not enough” to help those trapped in Gaza, and pushed for a “full, comprehensive and immediate humanitarian pause in fighting”.
Speaking about a possible motion on Wednesday, a Labour figure said: “We want to table something Labour MPs can vote for that is consistent with our policy while reflecting ongoing concerns on the ground.
“We would want people to vote for our amendment and vote against the SNP amendment. Why support SNP political game playing?”
But SNP sources have said Wednesday’s vote would not be a one-off, and they would keep up the pressure on Sir Keir and his MPs to back a ceasefire – drawing a dividing line between the two parties.
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JD Vance has hit back at criticism after saying a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine would be “20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years”.
The US vice president was accused of “disrespecting” British forces who served alongside the US in Iraq and Afghanistan, with a former veterans minister branding him a “clown” who needs to “check his privilege”.
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Although the UK and France are the only countries to have pledged troops to a potential peacekeeping force, Mr Vance said the suggestion he was referring to those two allies is “absurdly dishonest”.
“I don’t even mention the UK or France in the clip, both of whom have fought bravely alongside the US over the last 20 years, and beyond,” he said in a post on X.
“There are many countries who are volunteering (privately or publicly) support who have neither the battlefield experience nor the military equipment to do anything meaningful.”
Mr Vance made the initial comments to Fox News on Tuesday, saying the only security guarantee Donald Trump will provide for Ukraine is a minerals deal.
He said: “The president knows that if you want real US security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine.
“That is a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years.”
Several British politicians interpreted this as a dig at the UK and France, who have led the idea of a “coalition of the willing” to provide boots on the ground in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, accused Mr Vance of “ignoring the service and sacrifice” of personnel from the two countries that fought in Afghanistan after 9/11.
He said that is the only time NATO’s Article 5 has been invoked, which holds that members of the alliance will come to the defence of an ally under attack.
He added: “Britain and France came to their aid deploying 1,000s of personnel to Afghanistan, including numerous parliamentary colleagues, past & present. It’s deeply disrespectful to ignore such service & sacrifice.”
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Former Tory veterans minister Johnny Mercer called Mr Vance a “clown” who “needs to check his privilege”.
Helen Maguire, the Lib Dem’s defence spokesperson who also served in the army before her career in politics, accused Mr Trump’s deputy of “erasing the hundreds of British troops who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan from history”.
She said: “Six of my own regiment, the Royal Military Police, didn’t return home from Iraq. This is a sinister attempt to deny that reality. Vance has demeaned his office.”
Speaking after Mr Vance clarified his remarks, a Downing Street spokesperson said the US vice president was “talking about other countries” when asked if he should apologise.
They added Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer “is full of admiration for British troops who fought alongside the US and others in wars and their courage and bravery”.
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Tory leader Kemi Badenoch told GB News “a lot of people are getting carried away”.
“They’re saying loads of things and getting quite animated, let’s keep cool heads,” she said.
“I believe President Trump and JD Vance want peace, they’re looking after their national interest, we need to do so as well.”
It is not the first time Mr Vance has riled the UK, after previously attacking it over free speech and saying the UK is “Islamist under Labour”.
The row comes after the Trump administration paused military aid to Ukraine following an extraordinary showdown between the US President and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The falling out has thrown into jeopardy the prospect of a minerals deal, which would give the US access to Ukraine’s deposits of rare earth minerals.
Mr Trump has suggested this would deter Russia from invading Ukraine again if a peace deal is struck – but Sir Keir said yesterday that it would not be enough on its own.
The prime minister told MPs on Monday that Britain must “lead from the front” on supporting Ukraine and Europe must “do the heavy lifting to support peace on our continent”.
However, he said “to succeed, this effort must also have strong US backing”.
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