10 of Starmer’s frontbenchers resigned last night to vote in favour of a ceasefire in a symbolic vote organised by the SNP. The King’s Speech amendment calling for “all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire” was defeated by a majority of 168. Performative, pointless…

Labour’s front bench resignations were:

• Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding Jess Phillips.
• Shadow Minister for Crime Reduction Naz Shah.
• Shadow Minister for Devolution and the English Regions Paula Barker.
• Shadow Minister for Local Government and Faith Sarah Owen.
• Shadow Minister for Exports Afzal Khan.
• Shadow Minister for Veterans Rachel Hopkins.
• Shadow Solicitor General for England and Wales Andy Slaughter.
• Shadow equalities minister Yasmin Qureshi.
• Shadow treasury PPS Dan Carden.
• PPS to Angela Rayner Mary Foy.

A total of 56 Labour MPs – over a quarter – rebelled. Starmer’s statement reiterated his support for Israel and added – “I regret that some colleagues felt unable to support the position tonight“. John Healey said this morning that Labour is “acting in these very difficult circumstances as if we were in government“. Oh dear…

The Labour Party has come down hard on England cricketer Ollie Robinson, fully backing the ECB’s decision to suspend the bowler over his historically racist and sexist tweets. Labour MP and Shadow Culture secretary Jo Stevens said:

“It is right that the ECB takes the action that they think is necessary and appropriate to tackle racism and other forms of discrimination in their sport.” 

Guido wonders why Labour’s zero tolerance policy towards racism does not extend to its own MPs. The hypocrisy is palpable…

The following is a list of Labour MPs and some of their “historic”, offensive social media posts. Guido thinks it’s time to remind the Labour Party of its own dirty laundry and wonders whether Jo Stevens will be as quick to condemn and suspend her Labour colleagues… 

• Ian Byrne, MP for Liverpool, West Derby faced no consequences for several tweets that even he admitted were “unacceptable”. In 2015 Byrne tweeted about businesswoman Michelle Mone, telling his followers to “hit the cu*t where it hurts”. Byrne fell into disrepute again in 2019 after posting that “Everton wives are getting the suitcases out of the loft” – a thinly veiled reference to wife-beating. Guido wonders why Byrne’s sexist tweets are seen as acceptable by the Labour Party whilst Robinson’s are not…
  
• Just this morning Guido revealed that Labour MP and Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion Naz Shah, was filmed speaking at a Pro-Palestine rally in Bradford, where chants of “lift the curse of the Jews off the Muslims in Palestine!”, were shouted by protestors, in Arabic. This isn’t the first time this Labour MP has fallen into hot water. In 2015 she wrote that Israeli’s should face “transportation” out of the Middle East and suggested that Israel should be “relocated” to America. The Labour Party reinstated Naz after a brief suspension period. Guido wonders whether Naz will forgive Ollie Robinson, like she was so kindly forgiven by the Labour Party…
• Zarah Sultana received a slap on the wrist after it was revealed she told a pro-Israel tweeter to “jump off a cliff”, claimed she would “celebrate” the death of Netanyahu, Bush, and Blair, and compared the Holocaust to what she termed the “Muslim Holocaust” in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine. Following a huge storm Sultana apologised, writing: “I’m a sorry that I posted these offensive comments on social media as a teenager. I was young and immature.” Sound familiar?
• Angela Rayner was quick to defend, Labour MP Jared O’Mara, who called gay men “poofters”, arguing that he had “changed his views”. Funny that Labour MP Jared O’Mara is allowed to change his views but Ollie Robinson, English cricketer is not…
• Sir Keir Starmer not only forgave but defended Dr. Paul Williams, the Labour Hartlepool by-election candidate, after he asked his followers if they had a “favourite Tory MILF” in 2011. Though Keir conceded the comments were “wrong” he continued to support Paul Williams. Smells like hypocrisy…
• Labour’s Steve Reed received no punishment after describing a Jewish Tory donor as a “puppet master”. Like Ollie Robinson, Reed apologised “unreservedly” for the tweet. Guido wonders why Robinson’s apology isn’t enough, when Keir was prepared to forgive one of his own so quickly…

It is striking just how many Labour MPs have made offensive comments online and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Labour is very forgiving of their own, less so of teenage cricketers…

Since her suspension from the Labour Party was lifted in 2016, Naz Shah seemed to have genuinely learnt from her mistakes and put the nasty business of antisemitism behind her. That was until last week, when the Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion was filmed speaking at a Pro-Palestine rally in Bradford. Recently released footage shows protestors chanting in Arabic “lift the curse of the Jews off the Muslims in Palestine!”, “God, support them with your soldiers! God, we ask you to make the Jews lose!”, and, “God, purify al-Aqsa from impure people”. Turns out spotting Antisemitic rallies is more difficult when there’s no 10-foot hook-nosed, red-eyed inflatable there…

Pictures, posted on social media, show protestors holding placards that read “Zionism is racism” and “Tell me Israel how are you any different than Hitler”. It seems that Naz Shah just can’t keep out of trouble… 

To her credit Naz Shah was quick to distance herself from these signs. In a tweeted statement Naz Shah wrote:

“Over recent weeks, a small minority of individuals have been trying to infiltrate demonstrations about the situation in Palestine to spew hatred. 

I was made aware that an individual at one of the rallies I spoke at, made remarks following the rally in Arabic – a language I do not speak. The individual was not a speaker but gained access to a microphone – the translation of their comments given to me are not remarks I’d ever make.

I will never shy away from using my voice to raise the plight of the Palestinian people but I will never tolerate antisemitism and I totally condemn anyone perpetrating it.” 

The Labour MP has history, in 2015 she wrote that Israelis should face “transportation” out of the Middle East and suggested that Israel should be “relocated” to America. Though she apologised for her controversial comments at the time, it seems her associates have not. Much like Jeremy Corbyn, Naz might be one of the world’s unluckiest anti-racists…