Labour: Burnley councillors quit party over Israel-Gaza ceasefire stance

A council leader and 10 councillors have quit the Labour Party over Sir Keir Starmer's decision not to push for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Burnley Council leader Afrasiab Anwar, who had called for the Labour leader to resign over the issue, is among those to leave the party.

In a statement, the councillors said their memberships were "untenable".

Labour backs the government's stance of calling for Israel to pause its action against Hamas to allow aid into Gaza.

A Labour spokesperson said the party fully understood calls for a ceasefire but said one at this juncture would only "freeze the conflict" leaving hostages in Gaza, and Hamas capable of carrying out further attacks on Israel.

It has seen a number of resignations in councils across England over its stance on Gaza, including in Oxford where the party has lost control of the city council.

Israel began its operation in Gaza after Hamas killed more than 1,400 people in Israel and kidnapped more than 200 others on 7 October.

It has carried out thousands of air and artillery strikes, while a ground offensive is ongoing.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has said more than 9,700 people have been killed since 7 October.

Mr Anwar was joined in resigning by nine other Burnley councillors as well as Lancashire County councillor Usman Arif. They will now sit as independents.

Before the resignations, the Labour group held 22 out of 45 seats on Burnley Council. It remains the largest party after Sunday's announcement.

In their statement they said: "We have collectively decided to resign from the Labour Party with immediate effect, feeling that our place within the party is untenable given its present position.

"We cannot remain in a party that is not doing enough whilst innocent people are being killed in Gaza and Israel."

Sobia Malik, who represents Burnley Central East on Lancashire County Councillor, also announced her resignation from the Labour party last week.

Labour's leadership is likely to face more pressure on its position as MPs return to Westminster this week.

A number of Labour MPs - including shadow ministers - have called for a ceasefire, but Sir Keir has rejected these calls.

Concerns about Sir Keir's position are understood to go up to shadow cabinet level.

A Labour spokesperson said everybody wanted to see "an end to this cycle of violence and suffering", adding hostages needed to be released and aid needed to get to those in the most need.

They added: "International law must be followed at all times and innocent civilians must be protected."

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