Labour has withdrawn its support for Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali after criticism of remarks about Israel, a party spokesperson said.
Mr Ali was recorded suggesting in a meeting of the Lancashire Labour Party that Israel had allowed the October 7 Hamas assault as a pretext to invade Gaza.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Following new information about further comments made by Azhar Ali coming to light today, the Labour party has withdrawn its support for Azhar Ali as our candidate in the Rochdale by-election.
“Keir Starmer has changed Labour so that it is unrecognisible from the party of 2019.
“We understand that these are highly unusual circumstances but it is vital that any candidate put forward by Labour fully represents its aims and values.
“Given that nominations have now closed Azhar Ali cannot be replaced as the candidate.”
It is too late for Labour to withdraw Mr Ali as their candidate and replace him with someone else as the deadline passed on February 2.
It is understood that Mr Ali has been suspended from the Labour party pending investigation.
Mr Ali is alleged to have told a meeting of the Lancashire Labour Party: “The Egyptians are saying that they warned Israel 10 days earlier… Americans warned them a day before [that] there’s something happening…
“They deliberately took the security off, they allowed… that massacre that gives them the green light to do whatever they bloody want.”
After the Mail on Sunday published details of the recording, Mr Ali issued an apology stating that October 7 had been “the greatest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, and Jews in the UK and across the world are living in fear of rising antisemitism”.
More to follow.
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
