Starmer pressured to axe candidate Azhar Ali

Labour was tonight pressured to withdraw its help for a by-election candidate after the Mail uncovered extra of his anti-Semitic feedback.

Azhar Ali, who claimed Israel ‘intentionally allowed’ Hamas‘s October 7 bloodbath of its personal folks, was suspended from the social gathering pending an investigation.

Yet simply hours earlier, Sir Keir Starmer‘s group had rallied behind the councillor – claiming he had merely fallen for an ‘on-line conspiracy principle’ and that it was ‘out of character’ for him to be anti-Semitic.

Tonight, Labour mentioned it had withdrawn help for the Rochdale by-election candidate ‘following new data’.

The Mail had obtained a full audio tape of his feedback throughout a gathering of the Lancashire Labour Party shortly after the October 7 assaults. 

As effectively as having advised the assembly that Israel allowed the bloodbath to occur so it might wage battle on Gaza, Mr Ali apparently additionally:

• Blamed ‘folks within the media from sure Jewish quarters’ for fuelling criticism of a pro-Palestinian Labour MP;
• Said Israel deliberate to ‘do away with [Palestinians] from Gaza’ and ‘seize’ among the land;
• Boasted about stopping Israeli flags being flown from native public buildings after the October 7 assaults.

The new disclosures ramped up stress on Sir Keir to disown the wannabe MP. In the recording, Mr Ali appeared in charge the media for the suspension of Andy McDonald from the Labour Party. 

Mr McDonald, the MP for Middlesbrough, used the phrase ‘between the river and the ocean’ final 12 months. The slogan has been described as ‘a staple of anti-Semitic discourse’.

But within the recording, Mr Ali mentioned Mr McDonald ‘should not have been suspended’ earlier than including: ‘The media – and among the folks within the media from sure Jewish quarters – had been giving crap about what he mentioned.’

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism consists of making ‘stereotypical allegations about Jews’ – reminiscent of ‘Jews controlling the media’.

Mr Ali’s feedback had been made on the similar assembly wherein he mentioned Israel successfully sanctioned the Hamas atrocity in opposition to its personal folks to get the ‘inexperienced mild’ to invade Gaza.

He later admitted his feedback had been ‘inexcusable’ and apologised after being confronted by The Mail on Sunday, which first reported the story. 

At the assembly, he additionally mentioned: ‘Israel has that plan, which is to do away with [the Palestinians] from Gaza, push them out… 

‘And then they have Gaza to themselves, and , they’re going to say as a result of the safety dangers to Israel and the Jewish state, , we will not come again. So we have really mentioned that, in our letter, (this) is a couple of land seize.’

Tonight Rishi Sunak accused Labour of getting solely dropped Mr Ali ‘beneath media stress, not as a result of it was the suitable factor to do’.

He mentioned Sir Keir’s claims to have modified the Labour Party had confirmed ‘merely not true’, on condition that its candidate was caught ‘spreading the vilest racist conspiracy theories about Jews’.

The Prime Minister mentioned on GB News: ‘We’ve simply seen over the previous couple of days – Keir Starmer has been operating round for the final 12 months telling everyone Labour’s modified – look what simply occurred in Rochdale.

‘A candidate saying essentially the most vile, terrible anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. And what occurred? He stood by him, despatched cupboard ministers to help him. 

‘Until, as apparently 5 minutes earlier than I walked on tonight, beneath monumental media stress, he is determined to vary his thoughts.

‘That’s not principled, that is not principled in any respect. It’s a con.’

The deadline to take away Mr Ali from the poll paper has handed, resulting in the extremely uncommon state of affairs the place Labour can not substitute him because the social gathering’s candidate. 

He will stay on the poll paper as a Labour candidate, but when he wins, he would sit within the Commons as an unbiased MP with out the whip.

Labour mentioned tonight: ‘Following new details about additional feedback made by Azhar Ali coming to mild immediately, the Labour Party has withdrawn its help for Azhar Ali as our candidate within the Rochdale by-election.’

Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden advised the Mail: ‘Sir Keir knew about his racist Labour candidate’s views for days. Still, Sir Keir despatched his folks out to defend him. 

‘Who is aware of how lengthy different folks in Labour knew about this racist anti-Semitism and mentioned nothing both as a result of they suppose the identical or dared not communicate out. It’s not out of precept however solely on account of stress that Sir Keir has acted.

‘Starmer is an ethical vacuum. Sir Keir has failed to vary his social gathering, in truth he is been defending a racist hoping the outrage went away and solely acted when he had no alternative.’

A spokesman for Campaign Against Antisemitism mentioned: ‘Rather than showing as a principled determination, Labour’s withdrawal of help for its candidate at this late stage simply seems as expedient because the failed try and defend him. It is the worst of all worlds for Labour.’

Before the U-turn, Labour MP Nick Thomas-Symonds mentioned he believed Mr Ali had fallen for ‘a web-based conspiracy principle’. 

But Home Secretary James Cleverly mentioned: ‘I’m undecided ‘our candidate believed and repeated a vile and clearly anti-Semitic smear that he noticed on the web’ is sort of the defence Labour suppose it’s.’

Labour MP Rosie Duffield mentioned the social gathering ought to have withdrawn its help for Mr Ali sooner. She advised GB News: ‘I believe the dithering was fairly embarrassing.’

Mr Ali mentioned on Sunday: ‘I apologise unreservedly to the Jewish group for my feedback which had been deeply offensive, ignorant and false.’