Over 300 Muslim councillors demand UK’s Labour Party to call for cease-fire in Gaza

By Mehmet Solmaz

BIRMINGHAM, England (AA) — More than 300 Muslim councilors from the UK's main opposition Labour Party called on their party leadership to call for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

In a letter on Wednesday, the Labour Muslim Network said: “As Labour councillors elected to serve our constituents, the message we have been hearing repeatedly over the past 2 weeks is simple, people just want an end to the bloodshed and the loss of innocent life.”

Initially, over 150 councillors signed the letter and the number of signatories are increasing by the hour.

“Therefore, as Labour Party councillors, as members, and as members of the Muslim community we urge the Labour Party to urgently adopt a position of calling for an immediate cease-fire.”

The resignations came as a protest over party leader Keir Starmer’s support for what he called Israel’s "right" to cut power and water supplies to Palestinians living in Gaza.

Following strong public backlash, Starmer later claimed he did not mean to imply that Israel was justified to cut off essential supplies like power and water.

— Over 100 MPs call for cease-fire

A parliamentary motion calling on the government to “use its influence to help protect civilians, to ensure adherence to international humanitarian law and to guarantee civilians have access to critical life-saving humanitarian support” has been backed by 95 MPs.

Some other members of the parliament (MPs) also raised their support for a cease-fire without supporting the motion submitted by Labour lawmaker Richard Burton.

In a post he shared on X, Burton said: “95 MPs have backed my parliamentary motion for a ceasefire. Others have demanded it in Parliamentary debates or signed a separate motion. To help save civilian lives, our Government must now call for a ceasefire.”

Thirty-nine parliamentarians from the Labour are signatories to the motion, including shadow minister Imran Hussain, who became the first Labour frontbencher to sign the motion.