Labour loses control of another UK council over Gaza ceasefire stance

The leader of a local council and 10 other councillors belonging to the Labour Party have resigned in the UK town of Burnley over Keir Starmer's stance on a ceasefire.

Labour leader Starmer has repeatedly rejected calls to back a truce in Gaza, despite several senior figures in his party calling for an end to the war.

"We just can't stand by watching and being part of a party that is not speaking out, or at the very least calling for a ceasefire," Burnley council leader Afrasiab Anwar told Sky News.

"Instead of talking of peace - all of our world leaders, including the leader of the Labour Party, are talking about humanitarian pauses. It's just nonsensical."

“After exhausting every available option, we have arrived to the conclusion that the current party stance on Palestine does not align with the values we hold dear.”

11 councillors including the leader of Burnley @afrasiab_anwar tonight resign from the Labour Party. ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/tleekbZVcF
— Inzamam Rashid (@inzyrashid) November 5, 2023

Labour has lost at least 50 councillors over its stance on the Israel-Palestine war, resulting in the loss of control of two local councils - Oxford and Burnley.

In a speech at Chatham House earlier this week, Starmer said: "A ceasefire always freezes any conflict in the state where it currently lies. And as we speak, that would leave Hamas with the infrastructure and capability to carry out the sort of attack we saw on 7 October."