Burnley Council Leader and 10 Councillors Resign from Labour Party over Starmer's Gaza Ceasefire Stance

Resignations comes amid widespread dissatisfaction over Starmer's refusal to push for ceasefire, with exodus raising concerns about loss of support within the Labour Party.

Burnley Council leader Afrasiab Anwar and 10 other councillors have quit the Labour Party due to dissatisfaction with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's decision not to push for a ceasefire in Gaza. They claim their memberships were 'untenable'.
The resignations come amid a wider pattern of dissatisfaction within the Labour Party over its stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict, with other councils across England also witnessing resignations, leading to loss of Labour Party control in some areas like Oxford.
The Labour Party supports the UK government's stance of calling for Israel to pause its actions against Hamas to allow aid into Gaza, rather than pushing for a full ceasefire. The party argues that a ceasefire at this point would only 'freeze the conflict', leaving hostages in Gaza and Hamas able to carry out further attacks.
The resignations have raised concerns about the loss of support within the Labour Party, with the views of grassroots members being overlooked and a potential exodus of Muslim support, reminiscent of the fallout from the Iraq war.
Despite the dissent, the Labour Party maintains a significant presence in many councils, remaining the largest party in Burnley Council even after the resignations. However, fears remain that this dissent could spread to the parliamentary Labour Party, further increasing pressure on Starmer.