‘We have given up a Labour seat’ – Starmer
SIR Keir Starmer says he has done something no other leader of the Labour Party has ever done before by ‘giving up a Labour seat’ in Rochdale.
But the Labour leader fell short of saying that he acted quickly enough over comments made by its by-election candidate.
The party pulled its support for Azhar Ali who apologised for ‘deeply offensive’ comments he made about Israel. However, the Lancashire Labour leader, who has now been suspended by the party, will still appear next to the Labour logo on the ballot paper.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast after winning by-elections in Wellingborough and Kingswood last week, Sir Keir acknowledged the last week had been ‘bumpy’.
But the leader insisted he was prepared to make ‘ruthless’ decisions as he seeks to show Labour is a changed party.
He said: “I did something that no leader of the Labour party has ever done before, which is to remove a candidate in a by-election where they cannot be replaced, because I was so deter- mined to take decisive action in relation to antisemitism.”
Asked whether it was done quickly enough, he said: “It was done within days.”
He added: “We are giving up a Labour seat. That’s the right thing to do. But what it shows is, when there’s tough decisions to be made, I take those decisions.
“That’s what I’ve been doing for four
years. Taking tough and ruthless decisions to change this party.
“I’ve taken two tough and ruthless decisions in the last 10 days.
“Has it been bumpy? Yes, of course it’s been bumpy, but: ‘Were they the right decisions?’ is the question I asked myself. They were the right decisions.”
When pressed by reporters on whether he could be confident there are no other candidates who share the views of Mr Ali, Sir Keir said he is “satisfied” with Labour’s “robust due process”.
Sir Keir said: “I’ve put in place in the Labour Party a robust due process exercised for every single candidate.
“In this particular case there was a private conversation that couldn’t be picked up by due process.
“So I’m satisfied with our processes, but we must continue to fight anti-semitism wherever we are in organisations, in political parties.”
“When there’s tough decisions to be made, I take those decisions.”