Ben Habib has hit out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Khan deepened divisions in the Labour Party by breaking rank from the official stance.
Starmer has resisted calls from many Labour MPs to shift tack, risking the wrath of many.
Speaking on GB News, Reform UK’s Co-Deputy Leader Ben Habib said the London Mayor is effectively calling for Hamas to be further enabled in their efforts to commit atrocities in Israel.
GB NEWS / PA
“What he is calling for is against British national policy, which is to call for humanitarian pauses”, he said.
“There you have Sadiq Khan, who has a large influence on the Metropolitan Police, calling for a ceasefire.
“This is basically undermining Israel’s ability to take Hamas to task, and this is what we’re seeing on the streets of London.”
Opposing with Habib’s point of view was former Labour policy adviser Scarlett Mccgwire, who said “a child is dying every 15 minutes” during the conflict, and therefore a ceasefire would be a sensible next move.
“There is so little humanitarian aid that people are starving”, she said.
“Yes he is breaking with Labour policy, but he is doing it for humanitarian causes.”
Keir Starmer is under pressure from members of his own party
PAHabib continued by hitting out at Khan’s “direct influence” on the Metropolitan Police.
“There is a difference between calling for a ceasefire and a humanitarian pause”, he said.
“I’ve got a real issue with this. It is basically Sadiq Khan calling for Israel to give up its right to pursue Hamas.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer is facing a revolt from his own party to shift his stance by not only Sadiq khan, with other senior figures such as Andy Burnham and Anas Sarwar also at odds with official policy.
Warnings from more than 100 Labour MPs were issued, half of his parliamentary party.
Both Starmer and his counterpart Rishi Sunak have backed the idea of a “humanitarian pause” which would see aid allowed to enter Gaza.
The Labour leader has argued that Israel has the right to defend itself after an attack by Hamas terrorists that left 1,400 dead.
In a video message, Khan said the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East is “set to deteriorate further” as he went on to call for a ceasefire.
He said the move would “stop the killing” and “allow vital aid supplies to reach those who need it in Gaza”.
