Jeremy Corbyn's Gaza Bill Highlights Divisions In Labour
4 min read
Jeremy Corbyn has successfully cleared a House of Commons vote over his call for an inquiry into UK involvement in the Israel-Hamas war – a move deepening tensions within Labour, after some of Keir Starmer's MPs backed the demand.
The former Labour leader, who now sits as an Independent MP, on Wednesday brought forward a Ten-Minute Rule Bill calling for an “independent public inquiry” into the UK’s co-operation with Israel since October 2023.
The small number of MPs who were in the House of Commons to hear Corbyn's speech voted the bill through. This means the government must now decide whether to allocate parliamentary time for a future debate on it. This is unlikely, however, and in general, it is rare for a Ten-Minute Rule Bill to become law.
PoliticsHome understands that Labour MPs loyal to the government ignored the vote today as they do not want to be associated with Corbyn or his Independent Alliance.
Nine Labour MPs are supporting the bill – Brian Leishman, Richard Burgon, Steve Witherden, Kim Johnson, Nadia Whittome, Ian Byrne, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Jon Trickett, and Neil-Duncan Jordan.
A number of pro-Palestinian MPs had planned a walkout over Gaza during Prime Minister's Questions, after which they would have joined the Palestine Solidarity Campaign's "red line on Palestine" protest outside Parliament.
But it is understood that the walkout was cancelled, as pro-Gaza MPs believed Corbyn's bill would come to a vote just after PMQs.
Burgon, the MP for Leeds East who got the Labour whip back in February after it was suspended for voting against the two-child benefit cap, told PoliticsHome: “The British public has a right to know what’s been done in their name in Gaza.
"If UK arms, intelligence, or military support have enabled Israel to carry out its war crimes in Gaza, then there must be full transparency and those responsible must be held to account.
"That’s why I support a full, independent public inquiry, just as was done about the Iraq war. Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza and this bill can play an important role in doing all we can to stop it."
Labour MPs on the left of the party have been bitterly disappointed by the leadership's position on Gaza. They have accused the government of being complicit in Israel's war in Gaza and too slow in disciplining Israel.
The Independent Alliance have dangled the prospect of left-wing MPs, including those who are still without the Labour whip, of joining their group, which has a stronger position on Gaza.
Ayoub Khan, Independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, recently told The House that there have been "a lot" of discussions with MPs about joining their group.
Duncan-Jordan, the 2024 intake Labour MP for Poole, told PoliticsHome the public were "way ahead of the government on the plight of the Palestinians", with many finding it "difficult" to understand why more has not been done.
He added: "It’s plain for everyone to see that what is happening is the systematic annihilation of the Palestinian people and Britain needs to show international leadership and say it how it is.
"The concerns around our involvement in arming Israel are key to understanding whether or not we also are vicariously liable when it comes to breaches of international law."
Leishman, also a new intake Labour MP, representing Alloa and Grangemouth, said he would be voting for the bill because he agreed the UK government had been "complict" in Israel's war in Gaza.
"Our people here in the UK both deserve and need to know what our country’s role has been in the attempted extermination of the Palestinian people by this apartheid and genocidal Israeli government."
The war in Gaza started on October 7 after Hamas invaded Israel and killed 1,200 people and abducted a further 251 people. The Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civillians and combatants, has claimed more than 50,000 people have died in Gaza since the war began.
A number of Labour MPs after the October 7 massacre urged Starmer to call for a ceasefire. In November 2023 eight Labour shadow ministers and two parliamentary private secretaries quit the frontbench.
In February 2024 Keir Starmer, then leader of the opposition, called for a ceasefire between Israel-Hamas which would last in the long-term.
After the general election the government has had a consistent position of calling for a ceasefire, release of the hostages held by Hamas, and humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
The UK government issued a statement with Canada and France last month vowing to take "concrete actions" if Israel does not stop the war in Gaza. All three governments said the current situation was "intolerable".
