Jewish organisations chastised Labour last night for supporting a candidate who asserted that Israel ‘deliberately facilitated’ the slaughter on October 7.
Secretly recorded, Azhar Ali stated that Israel essentially gave the go-ahead to invade Gaza by endorsing the crimes committed by Hamas against its own citizens.
After being questioned by The Mail on Sunday, Mr Ali apologised yesterday and acknowledged that his remarks were “inexcusable.”
However, according to Labour sources, he will continue to run for the party in the Rochdale by-election on February 29.
It is believed that Labour’s levelling-up spokesperson, Lisa Nandy, proceeded with a campaign event featuring Mr Ali in spite of the scandal, only a few hours after he was compelled to issue an apology. According to a Labour source, Ms Nandy participated in a “scheduled event.”
Last night, the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism called Labour’s position ‘obscene’ and claimed Sir Keir Starmer’s assertion that the party has addressed its nasty anti-Semitism problem was a farce given the refusal to remove Mr Ali.
‘This man does not belong in a major political party, let alone in Parliament, yet Labour is, incredibly, still backing his candidature after a quick apology,’ a spokesman said.
‘This is distressingly familiar to days that Keir Starmer promised were behind us. This is not tearing anti-Semitism out ‘by its roots’. Labour must urgently re-examine this obscene decision if its leader is to be regarded as a man of his word.’
Mr Ali’s remarks were deemed “disgraceful and unforgivable” by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, who also stated that “it is clear to us that he is not apologising out of a genuine sense of remorse.”
Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said his remarks were ‘outrageous, highly offensive, mad, and unacceptable’.
And Conservative chairman Richard Holden said: ‘Time after time, Sir Keir Starmer says that he’s changed Labour. Time after time, we’re seeing that simply isn’t true. While vile racist slurs are freely exchanged within Labour, it is unfit to hold public office. Sir Keir should immediately remove Mr Ali’s Labour membership and suspend Labour’s campaign.
‘If Labour won’t do that, the public will see that Labour is happy to run anti-Semitic candidates to attract racist votes and is therefore unfit to play a leading role in our nation’s affairs.’
In a leaked recording of a meeting of the Lancashire Labour Party shortly after the October 7 attacks, Mr Ali claimed Israel had ignored warnings from Egypt and the US of an imminent attack.
Sir Keir Starmer has no morals and would support anybody or anything to get him votes. He sways with the breeze, and he hasn’t got one single belief that’s his and that he will stand by.
He used to be indecisive, but now he’s not sure!
It’s because he’s always trying to have his cake and eat it. A man who believes in nothing but for power’s sake and just slithers and slimes, and no one in their right mind will vote Labour now.
My desire to vote for Labour in the upcoming election is quickly dissipating. Not that the Conservatives are any better, but then, for whom should we cast our votes?
If a Conservative MP had said something similar, I can imagine Sir Keir Starmer being all false anger over the dispatch box. It’s all gibberish, Conservatives and Labour together, and I can honestly declare that no one would be a suitable prime minister in the next election because none of them are in touch with reality.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 