Labour candidate issues apology over claim Israel allowed October attack

Sign up for the View from Westminster electronic mail for professional evaluation straight to your inbox

Get our free View from Westminster electronic mail

The Labour candidate for Rochdale, Azhar Ali, has apologised after he reportedly stated Israel had been warned in regards to the 7 October attack and allowed it to occur.

The Labour Party has issued an announcement on behalf of the candidate after the Mail on Sunday printed feedback from a recording of him telling the Lancashire Labour social gathering that Israel had warned of the attack earlier than it occurred, however they “deliberately took the security off”.

Mr Ali is alleged to have stated: “The Egyptians are saying that they warned Israel ten 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.”

The Labour councillor can also be alleged to have stated that Labour chief Keir Starmer has “lost the confidence of the parliamentary party”. He stated: “A lot of the MPs I’ve spoken to, non-Muslim MPs, feel that on this issue, he’s lost the confidence of the parliamentary party.’

In the statement issued on Sunday morning, Mr Ali said: “I apologise unreservedly to the Jewish community for my comments which were deeply offensive, ignorant, and false.

“Hamas’ horrific terror attack was the responsibility of Hamas alone, and they are still holding hostages who must be released. October 7th was 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. I will urgently apologise to Jewish leaders for my inexcusable comments.”

He added: “The Labour Party has changed unrecognisably under Keir Starmer’s leadership, he has my full support in delivering the change Britain needs.”

The feedback are prone to ignite a significant row within the Labour social gathering as Sir Keir has come below intense strain over his dealing with of the Gaza disaster. In November, 56 of Labour MPs rebelled and backed requires a ceasefire.

A latest Survation ballot carried out for the Labour Muslim Network discovered that British Muslims are dropping belief in Labour over its dealing with of Israel-Gaza battle.

On Sky News this morning, Labour’s nationwide marketing campaign coordinator, Pat McFadden, stated Mr Ali’s feedback have been “completely wrong”.

The shadow frontbencher stated: “He’s issued a complete apology and retraction and I hope he learns a good lesson from it because he should never have said something like that in the first place.”

Mr McFadden stated “His comments were completely wrong” and that the Labour candidate should “never have said something like that”:

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