Keir Starmer has stood by his decision to address the controversy surrounding the Labour Party’s suspended candidate in Rochdale.

Azhar Ali was suspended on Monday, February, 12, amid revelations about his comments on Israel following the Hamas attacks.

The Labour leader, who faced criticism for initially supporting Ali over the weekend and later reversing his decision within 36 hours, defended his tough and decisive measures.

Starmer emphasized that Ali will now campaign for the Rochdale seat without official party support.

Speaking during his campaign in Wellingborough ahead of Thursday’s by-election, Starmer maintained that he believes he took the right course of action.

“Certain information came to light over the weekend in relation to the candidate [and] there was a fulsome apology,” he said. “Further information came to light yesterday calling for decisive action, so I took decisive action.”

Starmer also stated, “It is a huge thing to withdraw support for a Labour candidate during the course of a byelection. It’s a tough decision, a necessary decision, but when I say the Labour party has changed under my leadership, I mean it.”

The Labour leader spoke publicly about the controversy for the first time since allegations surfaced over the weekend regarding Ali’s purported suggestion in a private meeting in October that he believed the Israelis had intentionally allowed the 7 October attack to occur.

According to a recording of Ali’s comments reported by the media, he told those at the meeting: “[Israel] deliberately took the security off, they allowed … that massacre that gives them the green light to do whatever they bloody want.”

Upon the revelation of those comments, Ali issued an apology and received support from the Labour leadership. Senior ministers affirmed their commitment to campaign alongside him despite the controversy.

Nevertheless, on Monday night, reports disclosed that Ali’s remarks during the meeting extended beyond the initially reported ones.

According to a recording, Ali also defended the MP Andy McDonald, who Labour suspended after he used the phrase “from the river to the sea” about Palestinian independence. Ali said at the meeting: “The media – and some of the people in the media from certain Jewish quarters – were giving crap about what [McDonald] said.”

Implications Of Labour’s Withdrawal Of Support For Rochdale Candidate

Ali Azhar, Labour Party’s suspended candidate in Rochdale

Starmer opted to retract his support for Ali following his office being informed about the more recent comments.

However, the Labour leader has faced criticism for not implementing more decisive measures earlier and for seemingly showing preferential treatment to individuals like Ali, who belongs to the right wing of the party, compared to quicker suspensions of those on the left, like McDonald.

Martin Forde, the lawyer who was previously tasked by Starmer to investigate allegations of bullying, racism, and sexism in the party, stated on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, “One does have to question how such individuals are selected in the first place – and also the disparity in treatment.”

He also added, “One of the things that concerned us when we talked about weaponisation was certainly the perception that antisemitism was along factional lines.”

The decision by the Labour Party to withdraw support for its candidate, in the Rochdale by-election has significant implications.

Although Ali will still appear on the ballot paper, his victory would not secure a Labour seat. Instead, if elected, he will sit as an independent MP because Labour has effectively removed the whip from him.

This severe punishment means he will not be part of the parliamentary party. The withdrawal of support is a blow to Labour, which aimed to retain the seat after the death of veteran MP Sir Tony Lloyd.

Now, the party faces the challenge of finding a new candidate to contest the seat in the upcoming general election.