Labour Withdraws Support For Rochdale By-Election Candidate After Anti-Israel Comments

The Labour Party has withdrawn its support for Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali after a backlash over his remarks about Israel, a party spokesperson has said.

It comes after The Mail on Sunday reported the councillor allegedly said Israel deliberately allowed 1,400 people to be killed on its own soil on October 7.

Ali reportedly said Israel did so in order to give the “green light” to invade the Palestinian territory of Gaza, when at a meeting of the Lancashire Labour Party.

The party stood by Ali after he apologised for his “inexcusable comments”. But on Monday night the position changed “following new information about further comments made by Azhar Ali coming to light today”.

It is too late for Labour to remove Ali as their candidate and replace him with someone else as the deadline passed on February 2.

The move is likely to mean Ali will remain the Labour candidate on the ballot paper but the party will not campaign at all.

If elected, he could be forced to sit in parliament as an independent MP.

The disarray opens up the prospect of a win for former Labour MP George Galloway, who is standing as the Workers party candidate.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Following new information about further comments made by Azhar Ali coming to light today, the Labour party has withdrawn its support for Azhar Ali as our candidate in the Rochdale by-election. 

“Keir Starmer has changed Labour so that it is unrecognisible from the party of 2019.

“We understand that these are highly unusual circumstances but it is vital that any candidate put forward by Labour fully represents its aims and values.

“Given that nominations have now closed Azhar Ali cannot be replaced as the candidate.”

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