Labour MP Shabana Mahmood says celebration misplaced belief of Muslim voters over Gaza

Labour’s most senior Muslim MP has stated the celebration’s stance on Gaza has broken belief with voters.

Shadow Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood admitted Labour must rebuild relations with British Muslims after criticism of its preliminary response to the Middle East disaster. Eight frontbenchers, together with distinguished MP Jess Phillips, resigned in November to again requires a ceasefire in Gaza in defiance of Keir Starmer’s place. Labour has since shifted to calling for a “sustainable ceasefire”.

In an interview with the BBC’s Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, Ms Mahmood stated that amongst Muslim voters “there has been a sense of a loss of trust, and I think that that needs to be rebuilt. That is something we are all very cognisant of and we want to make sure we put that right.”

The Labour chief was broadly criticised for showing to recommend that Israel had the fitting to withhold water and energy from Gaza in an interview with LBC in October. After a fierce backlash, Mr Starmer clarified that he thought Israel had a “right to self-defence” nevertheless it shouldn’t block humanitarian support to Gaza.

Ms Mahmood stated: “There’s no getting away from the fact that it is true objectively and by any other measure that that was not a good moment. Keir, of course, then did go on to clarify his comments. Miscommunications in politics do happen.” She added: “It was necessary because it was widely seen by millions of people, had caused a huge amount of anguish and he put the record straight.”

Asked about criticism of Labour’s failure to name for a ceasefire, she stated: “I wanted a ceasefire then, I want a ceasefire now. It’s impossible to look at footage of dead children being pulled from the rubble, knowing that they were crying out and no one could get to them, and not want this nightmare to stop, not want the fighting to stop.” She added: “I wish it were possible, simply by calling for it, that you could immediately deliver [a ceasefire].”

Ms Mahmood stated it was not simply Muslims in Britain who’re “feeling a very strong sense of, pain at what’s unfolding. So do all British Jews”. “We are all British citizens together,” she added.

“I think that if we lose our sense of humanity for what is being suffered by all of the peoples in that region, I think we lose something very, very important and very precious. And once gone, I think it’s very difficult to get back.”

She criticised Hamas and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for blocking efforts to discover a two-state answer. “We have to urgently find partners for peace, because a one state solution does not make the people of Israel safe,” she stated. “And it is an outrage to adopt a position that says that the people of Israel can have self-determination, but the people of Palestine cannot.”