Azhar Ali: Keir Starmer faces Rochdale by-election dilemma

Keir Starmer has faced criticism from members of his own party over his position on the Gaza-Israel conflict

From day one of his leadership, Keir Starmer has been trying to rebuild relations with the Jewish community.

He apologised to Jewish people for the antisemitism that had been a "stain" on his party, and promised to eradicate it.

Over the course of almost four years his actions have gradually won back the trust of the Jewish community.

Since the beginning of the war in Gaza he has suspended two MPs over their language - Andy McDonald in October for saying "we will not rest until we have justice until all people, Israelis and Palestinians, between the river and the sea, can live in peaceful liberty" during a pro-Palestine rally; and Kate Osamor in January for referring to "genocide" in Gaza on Holocaust Memorial Day.

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And when some Labour MPs representing constituencies with sizeable Muslim populations wanted to vote for an immediate ceasefire in November, those on the frontbench had to resign while Sir Keir maintained the delicate balance of diplomacy.

All that explains both Keir Starmer's challenge over the Rochdale by-election - and why he might just survive it.

The party's candidate in Rochdale Azhar Ali has apologised after reportedly saying Israel had "allowed" the deadly attack by Hamas gunmen on 7 October.

It is too late for Labour to remove him as their candidate for the by-election due to take place at the end of this month, and the party has said it will continue to campaign in the constituency.

The Jewish Labour Movement has seen enough to be satisfied that the party has changed under Sir Keir, and accept the bind that their leader is in.

But those who have previously fallen foul of Sir Keir's red lines now shout hypocrisy, believing they have faced consequences for what they perceive as lesser crimes.

The left-wing campaign group Momentum says the Labour leadership is "actively targeting black and brown MPs for standing with Gaza amidst a humanitarian catastrophe".

In Rochdale, George Galloway, a former Labour and Respect MP who is standing as a candidate, knows very well any dissent like that could be turned to his advantage.

Keir Starmer can't stop Azhar Ali being his party's candidate. He could take away Labour's support and potentially increase Mr Galloway's chances of a win.

Or he allows the campaign to continue, at risk of undermining years of work winning the trust of Jewish people.

Neither option is appealing. But he will hope the trust he's built with the Jewish community over the past four years will be strong enough to withstand this by-election storm.