Labour flails on Israel (again)

Another day and another Labour U-turn. The current crisis in Gaza has split the Starmer Army as they walk the thin line between supporting Israel and not alienating their core vote. The current total of Labour MPs who are calling for ceasefire – in breach of party policy – now stands at 65, a third of the total parliamentary party. There has been much anger over Sir Keir’s disastrous LBC interview in which he appeared to suggest that Israel ‘has the right’ to withhold water and power from Gaza: comments which Starmer has repeatedly and painfully tried to ‘walk back’ over the past fortnight.

But it appears that the long-suffering Labour press office is yet to learn the lessons from Starmer Chameleon’s media mishap. For another botched broadcast round has hindered the party’s efforts to stand with the government over Israel. David Lammy – the Tottenham Talleyrand – appeared on BBC’s Radio 4 yesterday, in which he was asked about reports of an Israeli air strike on a Gaza refugee camp.