Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, has stated that he and UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer “ultimately have the same position” regarding the Israel-Gaza war. As the SNP looks for a renewed vote on the matter, Sarwar has called for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict, while Starmer has urged for a “sustainable” end to the violence. Sarwar made these comments to the BBC ahead of the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow. The conference comes after a double Labour victory in a recent English by-election, following a recent antisemitism row over parliamentary candidates.
During a BBC Radio interview, Sarwar was asked why Starmer had not used the same language he had regarding the war. Sarwar replied that he didn’t think the difference was great, and that Starmer too wanted the fighting to end immediately for there to be a sustainable ceasefire, thus saying “I think we ultimately have the same position”. Furthermore, Sarwar said that there is “no separation in our view” when asked how the two Scottish Labour MPs would vote on the matter if there is a conflict of interests between Sarwar and Starmer in the future.
The conference comes after a grueling week for Starmer following the suspension of two parliamentary candidates due to antisemitic remarks. Labour withdrew support for their candidate for the Rochdale by-election, Azhar Ali and is investigating former Labour MP for Hyndburn Gareth Jones over comments he made about Israel. Labour has faced criticism for its slow reaction to withdraw support for Ali.
Sarwar has recently taken a different approach to Starmer on a few issues such as a two-child cap on benefits, appearing on picket lines, and investments in green industries. These differences have raised concerns about who will truly be in charge of Scottish Labour MPs if there is a large number of MPs elected after the next general election.
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