Manchester councillor leaves Labour over Starmer's Israel comments

Ardwick councillor Amna Abdullatif said the party's leadership was showing a "lack of humanity" to Palestinians

A Labour councillor has resigned from the party over what she said were "horrifying comments" by Sir Keir Starmer about the Israel Gaza war.

In an LBC interview, the Labour leader said Israel had "the right" to withhold power and water from the Gaza Strip.

Manchester councillor Amna Abdullatif said the party's leadership was showing a "lack of humanity" to Palestinians as such a "collective punishment" was "inhumane and unconscionable".

Labour has been approached for comment.

Speaking to a fringe event at the Labour conference on 8 October, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said Labour stood "with the people of Israel", following attacks by Hamas.

"Israel has a right to self-defence against terrorism," he said, adding that any response should be "proportionate" and "within international law".

In her resignation statement, which was shared on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Abdullatif said she had been a member of Labour "for the last decade and proud to have been elected in 2019 as the first Arab Muslim woman to represent Manchester City Council in my home of Ardwick".

She said she had joined the party because its values "reflected my own" and she was sad that was no longer the case.

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She said she was "devastated" to resign from the party, but felt she had "no choice" due to Sir Keir "and a number of his front bench making horrifying comments about Israel", which she said were "effectively endorsing a war crime".

"I am appalled by the lack of humanity being shown to Palestinians by the party I have been a member of for the last 10 years," she said.

"Collective punishment is illegal under international law, it is inhumane and unconscionable.

"I cannot fathom how the leadership... has not called for a de-escalation to violence and a ceasefire.

"This is deeply irresponsible and dangerous."

She said she mourned "the loss of innocent lives in Israel and in Gaza" and stood in "solidarity with the Jewish community in Manchester... and all those who are feeling sadness, fear and shock".

She added that she would continue as an independent councillor and would "continue to do all I can to create spaces that bring all communities together".