Fury after Labour retains MP hopeful who made ‘warped’ feedback about Israel bloodbath | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Labour is dealing with fury for permitting an “anti-Semitic” candidate to run for parliament after he accused Israel of permitting its residents to be massacred.

Azhar Ali, who’s standing to be the MP for Rochdale, claimed the October 7 assault went forward as a result of the Israeli state wished the “green light” to invade Gaza.

But Sir Keir Starmer’s occasion confirmed he’ll nonetheless be contesting the by-election later this month.

Tory chairman Richard Holden mentioned: “Time after time, Sir Keir Starmer says that he’s modified Labour. Time after time we’re seeing that merely isn’t true.

“While vile racist slurs are freely exchanged inside Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, it’s unfit to carry public workplace.”

Mr Holden added: “Sir Keir Starmer should immediately remove Mr Ali’s Labour membership and suspend Labour’s campaign.

“If Labour won’t do that, the public will see that Labour is happy to run antisemitic candidates to attract racist votes and is therefore unfit to play a leading role in our nation’s affairs.”

Mr Ali is defending a 9,000 majority after he was chosen as Labour’s candidate for Rochdale when veteran MP Sir Tony Lloyd died from leukaemia last month.

He made the “warped” comments at a meeting of the Lancashire Labour Party following the atrocity, claiming the Israeli government removed its border security to allow Hamas to attack.

In the recording obtained by the Mail on Sunday, he was heard telling the group: “The Egyptians are saying that they warned Israel ten days earlier… Americans warned them a day earlier than [that] there’s one thing occurring… They intentionally took the safety off, they allowed… that bloodbath that offers them the inexperienced mild to do no matter they bloody need.”

After someone suggested Sir Keir was “held in excessive regard”, Mr Ali replied: “Can I disagree with you… A whole lot of the MPs I’ve spoken to, non-Muslim MPs, really feel that on this situation, he is misplaced the boldness of the parliamentary occasion.”

Mr Ali issued a statement after the comments were made public.

He said: “I apologise unreservedly to the Jewish neighborhood for my feedback which have been deeply offensive, ignorant, and false.

“Hamas’s horrific terror attack was the responsibility of Hamas alone, and they are still holding hostages who must be released.

“7 October was the best lack of Jewish life in a single day because the Holocaust, and Jews within the UK and the world over reside in concern of rising antisemitism.

“I will urgently apologise to Jewish leaders for my inexcusable comments.

“The Labour Party has modified unrecognisably underneath Keir Starmer’s management, he has my full help in delivering the change Britain wants.”

The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region said Mr Ali had a “lengthy observe file of interfaith work” but it surely had been “shocked and appalled” by his “warped thinking”.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews mentioned: “These comments are disgraceful and unforgivable.

“Were it not too late to take action, we’d have referred to as on Labour to interchange Mr Ali as a candidate. It is obvious to us that Mr Ali is just not apologising out of a real sense of regret.

“Despite what he says in his apology, we do not see how we could possibly engage with him at this time and we believe other leading Jewish communal groups will feel similarly.”

Karen Pollock, chief govt of the Holocaust Memorial Trust wrote on social media: “Outrageous, highly offensive, mad and unacceptable.”

Labour’s election strategist Pat McFadden advised Sky News the feedback have been “completely wrong” however mentioned he would nonetheless stay Labour’s candidate.

“He’s issued a whole apology and retraction and I hope he learns an excellent lesson from it as a result of he ought to by no means have mentioned one thing like that within the first place,” he added.