Starmer condoned war crimes - ex Labour MP Lynne Jones

An ex-Labour MP who quit the party over comments made by Sir Keir Starmer about the Israel-Gaza conflict has accused him of condoning war crimes.

Responding to a question about Israel's right to cut off power and water to Gaza, Sir Keir said he thought "Israel does have that right".

He has since clarified his comment, but ex Birmingham Selly Oak MP Lynne Jones said: "It was... the end of my tether."

Some Walsall Labour councillors have also written a letter of complaint.

Speaking on LBC Radio, Sir Keir was asked whether Israel was right to respond to the attacks by Hamas with a siege of Gaza, cutting off water and power.

"I think that Israel does have that right, it is an ongoing situation, obviously everything should be done within international law," he said.

Sir Keir later clarified those comments to explain he was speaking about Israel's right to defend itself, not to cut off power and water, and that Israel should respond within international law.

But not before nine Labour councillors on Walsall Council wrote an open letter, calling on him to "do the honourable thing by apologising and retracting his comments".

They warned if he did not, he would "continue to cause irreparable disillusionment and apathy towards Labour amongst the voting Muslim community in Walsall and across the country".

Labour councillors elsewhere in the country have quit the party over their leader's comments.

Ms Jones, who represented Selly Oak until 2010 and was formerly the chair of the Socialist Campaign Group, told the BBC's Politics Midlands programme: "He was condoning war crimes on the part of the Israeli government.

"He's a human rights lawyer and he knows that collective punishment is not allowed under international law."

Ms Jones said she had left the party after being a member for 50 years.

Speaking on the same programme, Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Perry Barr, in Birmingham, said Sir Keir had made "very clear" what he meant by the comments over the past few days.

"I think sometimes in a live interview you don't quite exactly make the distinction, he's cleared that up," Mr Mahmood said.

"I think sometimes people have other grievances in the party too and when these sort of occasions arise they try to use those in order to move forward."

Speaking on the programme, Harriett Baldwin, Conservative MP for West Worcestershire, said: "There are a lot of very strong views on all sorts of different things.

"Words are used here without, I think, due care or due understanding of the situation."

She added: "I think we need to just really focus not on the emotions but on the facts; and what we all want to see is the peaceful coexistence of a two-state solution."

Mr Mahmood also said military action would not resolve the issue and talks were needed, possibly with the support of UN peacekeepers in Gaza.

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