Rachael Burford
Fri, 24 November 2023
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has attempted to play down splits in the party over Gaza (PA Wire)
Labour has suffered a surprise by-election defeat in east London as grassroots anger at Sir Keir Starmer's stance on a ceasefire in Gaza continued.
Sophia Naqvi, who quit her Labour membership last month, won the Plaistow North ward on Newham council at Thursday night's election.
She gained 46% of the vote to Labour's 27%. There are now four Independents on Newham council.
Ms Naqvi said: "A few weeks ago I was still a Labour Party member desperately trying to get our Mayor and councillors to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. The Labour leader’s disgraceful comments to LBC was for me the final straw...like many others I left the Labour Party and as a result was persuaded by Newham Independents to be their candidate in the Plaistow by-election.
"We fought a campaign on local issues. People are fed up of record council tax bills, crumbling infrastructure and the filthy state of our streets."
Ms Naqvi's win follows Newham councillor Zuber Gulamussen quitting Labour earlier this week to become an Independent.
He joined more than 60 other UK Labour councillors who have resigned over the Sir Keir's comments on the Israel - Hamas war.
Nationwide polls by YouGov show that the row has not changed the party's national vote share, with Labour about 20 points ahead of the Conservatives.
It comes as a temporary ceasefire appears to be holding in the fighting in Gaza.
Hamas pledged to free at least 50 of the estimated 240 hostages that it took on October 7, when they massacred 1,200 people in an attack targeting kibbutzim, a music festival and Israeli border guards.
Israel was expected to free 150 Palestinian prisoners, with women and children the first to come out on both sides.
Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron will meet with Palestinian leaders and commit a further £30 million in aid for people in Gaza following the announcement.
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