Scottish Labour backs motion for 'immediate ceasefire' in Gaza

The Scottish Labour Party's conference has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Scottish leader Anas Sarwar has been calling for the ceasefire for months - which differs from Sir Keir Starmer who says he wants a "sustainable" end to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The UK leader has faced pressure to explicitly back an immediate ceasefire.

Labour's two Scottish Labour MPs are also under pressure to back a new vote being held at Westminster next week.

The SNP is urging Mr Sarwar to whip Michael Shanks and Ian Murray to side with them in a new motion.

Both MPs had abstained in a Commons vote in November calling for an immediate ceasefire.

But following the party conference vote, Mr Shanks declined to commit to backing a new motion.

Sir Keir has called for a sustainable ceasefire after previously backing a "humanitarian pause" in the conflict.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, he told the BBC he wanted "to get to a ceasefire" but stopped short of calling for an "immediate" end to war.

Sir Keir said the fighting "has to stop" but said: "The question is how do we get there?"

He added: "That needs to create the space for hostages to be released, for desperately needed humanitarian aid to get in in much greater need than it is at the moment.

"But equally important, if not more important, to use that stopping of the fighting to create the space for the political dialogue - that is the only way out of this in the long run towards a two-state solution"

The Gaza conflict was debated during the second day of the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow.

Crowds of pro-Palestinian protesters marched from the city centre to the event at the SEC venue.

The ceasefire motion was passed unopposed by Labour delegates.

It urges an end to rocket fire into and out of Gaza, the unconditional release of hostages taken by Hamas, the restoration of essential supplies and a pathway to peace.

However, it also condemned the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7 and noted Israel's right to protect its citizens.

Neil Bibby, the Scottish Labour's constitution spokesman, urged delegates to support the vote.

He said: "It is simply heart-breaking that countless children in Gaza are currently dying, and there are heartbroken parents in Israel too.

"That is why we have a moral obligation to be unequivocal.

"There must be an end to the fighting now and a sustainable ceasefire. An end to the terror and end to the violence."

Scottish leader Anas Sarwar has said that he and Sir Keir "ultimately have the same position" on ending the Israel-Gaza war.

Mr Sarwar previously told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "I don't think there's as much distance in this as people now believe.

"Keir Starmer has said he wants the fighting to stop right now and for that to be a sustainable ceasefire. I think we ultimately have the same position."

The Scottish Labour motion follows a double by-election win for the party in England this week - despite a recent antisemitism row over parliamentary candidates.

Labour overturned Conservative majorities of 11,220 in Kingswood and 18,540 in Wellingborough, where the 28.5% swing was the second biggest from the Tories to Labour in any post-war by-election.