Senior Labour frontbenchers have warned Keir Starmer that the party risks alienating Muslim voters and the liberal left over his staunch defence of Israel's military actions in Gaza. During a shadow cabinet meeting, Shabana Mahmood, Louise Haigh and Wes Streeting expressed concerns that the party appeared callous and out of touch with Labour values.
Starmer's interview on LBC, in which he said Israel had the right to withhold power and water from Gaza, caused particular upset. Mahmood, the shadow justice secretary and Labour's highest-profile Muslim MP, told Starmer his stance had caused huge offence in the Muslim community and urged him to clarify the position.
One senior Labour MP said after the meeting: 'We just looked like we didn't care about Palestinians. That is a mistake morally, but it is also a mistake electorally. We've managed to alienate both Muslims and the liberal left who make up such a large part of our base.'
Another added: 'Put the votes to one side, put the fact that you might lose some councils and some recent constituencies aside. What's the decent Labour thing to do? How have we gone that far away from our Labour values of equality and justice?'
Even some of Starmer's closest allies believe he may have pushed his strategy too far. By failing to distance Labour from the Conservatives on an issue of importance to British voters, they fear he has played into Tory hands. 'This isn't Ukraine,' said one Labour MP. 'We don't have to stick exactly to what the government and the Americans are saying.'
Labour is more deeply divided than the Conservatives on the crisis, caught between a desire to move away from the antisemitism of the Corbyn years and the need to show solidarity with Palestinians and Muslim supporters. However, some of Starmer's allies defend his approach, with Steve McCabe, chair of Labour Friends of Israel, saying: 'There is always pressure when something like this happens but I would say his handling has been spot on.'
