Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, is forming an alliance with four other independent MPs who share his pro-Palestinian stance. Their goal is to push Sir Keir Starmer, the current Labour leader, toward a more assertive position on the Israel-Hamas war, The Financial Times reported on Sunday.
Our message to the government: we are a movement for Palestine, and we are never, ever going away. pic.twitter.com/1UCNdT8x7w
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) July 6, 2024
Within Labour, there’s concern that the newly elected MPs may exacerbate existing party rifts over Israeli-Palestinian relations. Labour MPs worry that the fresh faces in Parliament could spotlight Starmer’s stance and rhetoric on Gaza, a topic that has already caused disagreement among party members.
Former shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire, who lost her Bristol seat to the Greens, said on Wednesday that Labour’s “lack of a strong narrative” on the war in Gaza “had consequences,” suggesting the party was lucky to lose only five MPs in heavily Muslim districts.
Corbyn, who won his Islington North seat as an independent after being expelled from the Labour Party in May, convened with the four MPs on Tuesday. A source present at the meeting stated, “The aim is to gather as many allies as possible.”
Jeremy Corbyn: “We demand an immediate ceasefire. We demand justice. And we demand an end to the occupation of Palestine” pic.twitter.com/y4N0yV0cRE
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) July 13, 2024
The Labour Party’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war has drawn criticism, particularly for its initial strong backing of Israel following the October 7 Hamas atrocities. Keir Starmer, who became Prime Minister, stirred controversy in an interview that month by stating that Israel “has the right” to cut off power and water to Gaza. Starmer later attempted to clarify his remarks, explaining he was referring to Israel’s right to self-defense.
As Israel continues its intensive military campaign in Gaza, Labour’s position has evolved. Since February, the party has been calling for an “immediate humanitarian cease-fire” in Gaza.
Corbyn’s group intends to propose amendments to legislation, particularly focusing on issues like UK arms sales to Israel, in an effort to influence Starmer’s policies.
This potential coalition of independents would match the number of Reform UK MPs and surpass the Green Party’s representation, which stands at four MPs. The Greens also campaigned on a pro-Palestinian platform during the general election.
However, the effectiveness of this independent group in parliament remains uncertain, given Labour’s substantial majority and the diverse policy interests among the independents. While two members, Ayoub Kahn, and Adnan Hussain, centered their campaigns primarily on the Gaza conflict, Corbyn and the others also addressed domestic issues in their electoral bids.
Corbyn appeared several times between 2009 and 2012 on a call-in show on Press TV, an Iranian government television channel, and was criticized for ignoring Iran’s atrocities, including imprisoning and executing homosexuals. Corbyn was also attacked for not questioning other participants in those shows who called the BBC “Zionist liars” and described Israel as a “disease.” Corbyn said in response that he used the show to address “human rights issues” and that his appearance fee was “not an enormous amount” and was used to help meet constituency office costs.
Corbyn’s final appearance was six months after the network was fined by the UK’s Office of Communications (Ofcom) for its part in filming an interview with Maziar Bahari, an Iranian journalist, which was conducted under duress and following torture.
Way to go, Jeremy.
