Labour withdraw from by-election
Action after claims of further remarks on
LABOUR has withdrawn its support for Lancashire’s Azhar Ali as the Rochdale by-election candidate following criticism of remarks he made about Israel.
Mr Ali, a Lancashire County Councillor who represents Nelson East, had apologised after he was recorded suggesting in a meeting of the Lancashire Labour Party that Israel had taken the October 7 Hamas assault as a pretext to invade Gaza.
The BBC understands Labour have also suspended Mr Ali pending an investigation.
A 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said: “Following new information about further comments made by Azhar Ali coming to light today, the Labour Party has withdrawn its support for Azhar Ali as our candidate in the Rochdale by-election.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 unrecognisable 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.”
Labour had come under serious pressure after the previous remarks emerged, with the comments condemned by figures inside the party as well as political opponents.
Sir Keir Starmer has sought to move his party on from the Corbyn era, which was overshadowed by controversies over antisemitism.
But the party leadership had been pressed on why Mr Ali had not been immediately suspended after the comments emerged.
Labour recently suspended
the MP Kate Osamor after she appeared to say the Gaza war should be remembered as genocide on Holocaust Memorial Day.
It is understood Mr Ali has now been suspended from Labour pending a party investigation.
The decision to withdraw backing for the candidate will come as a blow to the party, which had hoped to retain the seat following the death last month of sitting MP Sir Tony Lloyd.
Mr Ali has apologised to the Jewish community and retracted his remarks, which he described as “deeply offensive, ignorant and false”.
Frontbenchers Lisa Nandy and Anneliese Dodds had been out campaigning for Mr Ali in the constituency at the weekend.
Labour’s national campaign coordinator Pat Mcfadden told broadcasters the party acted because “new information and more comments have come to light which meant that we had to look at this situation again”.
Earlier shadow minister Nick Thomas-symonds told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he believed Mr Ali, had fallen “for an online conspiracy theory”.
According to a story published by the Daily Mail on Monday night, Mr Ali also said “people in the media from certain Jewish quarters” were “giving crap” about MP Andy Mcdonald, who was suspended by Labour after he used the phrase “between the river and the sea” in a speech during a rally.
The paper also said the