Keir Starmer's attempt to head off a damaging rebellion over Gaza was in the balance last night despite bowing to pressure by finally calling for an immediate ceasefire in the region.
Labour explicitly backed an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" for the first time since fighting broke out in October in an attempt to ward off another party split in what is likely to be a tense Commons vote today.
The Scottish National party motion calling for an immediate ceasefire has stoked divisions within the Labour party and outside, with several thousand protesters expected to march on Westminster just as the vote is called.
Labour officials believed yesterday afternoon they had successfully persuaded party rebels to vote for their carefully caveated amendment and abstain on the more blunt SNP motion.
However, they believe that if the Commons speaker chooses a government amendment ahead of the Labour one, it is likely to lead to a rebellion similar in scale to that seen last November, when 56 Labour MPs sided with the SNP.
According to a Labour source: "Everything now rests with the speaker. Our amendment should be enough to avoid another major rebellion on Gaza, but we're not sure what MPS will do if it is not even called for a vote." Labour's position on the Middle East crisis has come under intense scrutiny since the war began, with many in the party accusing Starmer of reacting too slowly to events in the region and backing the Israeli government for too long.
Party tensions came to a head last November when the SNP used the king's speech debate to call for a vote on an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
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