Starmer blasted for delay in acting on Israel rant candidate
Evening Standard|February 13, 2024
SIR Keir Starmer’s judgment came under fire today over the delay in withdrawing support for Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali following his anti-Israel rant.
Nicholas Cecil 
Starmer blasted for delay in acting on Israel rant candidate

Mr Ali was recorded suggesting in a meeting of the Lancashire Labour Party that Israel had allowed the October 7 Hamas slaughter of more than 1,200 citizens as a pretext to invade Gaza. The story was broken by the Mail on Sunday but Labour stuck by Mr Ali despite the deeply controversial remarks.

Shadow minister Nick Thomas-Symonds was even sent out onto the airwaves to defend the party’s stance. Last night Labour finally cut adrift Mr Ali following “new information about further comments” by him, and he is understood to have also been suspended from the party pending an investigation.

This story is from the February 13, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.

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This story is from the February 13, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.

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