“KICK ISRAELI RACISM OUT OF FIFA” Sir Keir Starmer in front of a banner at a meeting in London in 2015.
Keir Starmer addresses British troops in Cyprus (December 2024 visit to RAF Akrotiri): Official Downing Street footage where he speaks to personnel.
The Spectator Leading article: It’s time for Starmer to go
‘It’s worse than during the worst of Boris’: how the civil service turned against Starmer
Did the human rights lawyer stab Jeremy Corbyn in the back, smearing him as “antisemitic”?
In October 2020, shortly after Starmer became Labour leader, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published a major report. It found that the Labour Party under Corbyn’s leadership had committed unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination against Jewish people, with serious failings in how antisemitism complaints were handled (including political interference from Corbyn’s office).
Corbyn responded by saying the scale of the problem had been “dramatically overstated” for political reasons by opponents and much of the media (while still calling antisemitism “abhorrent” and saying one antisemite is too many). This response led directly to Corbyn’s suspension from the Labour Party. Starmer defended the suspension, stating that the party under his leadership would not tolerate:
- Antisemitism itself, or
- The argument that antisemitism had been exaggerated or was just a “factional row.”
Starmer described Corbyn’s comments as undermining efforts to restore trust with the Jewish community and said Corbyn was “part of the problem”. (BBC October 2020) He also refused to restore the parliamentary whip to Corbyn (meaning Corbyn could not sit as a Labour MP), and later supported blocking him from standing as a Labour candidate in the 2024 election.
Starmer made tackling antisemitism one of his top priorities upon becoming leader. He apologised to the Jewish community on behalf of the party, accepted the EHRC findings in full, and pledged to “tear out this poison by its roots. Many in the Jewish community and pro-Israel groups saw Starmer’s firm stance as necessary and welcomed the break from the Corbyn era.
“Corbyn and his supporters viewed the suspension and subsequent actions as a political purge or smear campaign by the right/centre of the party to marginalise the left. They argued the antisemitism issue was weaponised against Corbyn’s leadership.
This remains a highly divisive issue in UK politics, with strong views on both sides.
Foreign Office unit tracking Israel’s potential breaches of international law closes due to cuts
Exclusive: Officials warn department will also lose access to database of 26,000 verified incidents due to cuts (The Guardian)
UK complicit in Israeli war crimes and desecration of international law in Gaza, says Corbyn-led tribunal
An unofficial tribunal chaired by Jeremy Corbyn concluded that the UK has been complicit in crimes by Israel in Gaza, including failing to prevent genocide and, in some cases, actively participating through arms sales and surveillance support. (The Guardian, March 2026)
Britain’s failure to meet its legal obligations has contributed to the mass killing of Palestinian civilians and the wholesale destruction of civilian objects, the desecration of international law and the further erosion of Britain’s status as a nation committed to the rule of law in the international arena.
UK media are covering up British spy flights for Israel
Britain’s obedient defence correspondents are refusing to report a story of clear public interest in the middle of a genocide. Accuses the UK of conducting more than 500 surveillance flights over Gaza that the RAF has carried out since December 2023 from Akrotiri, with intelligence sharing with Israel, and the mainstream media ignoring the story. (Declassified UK, July 2025)
There is no loophole in Keir Starmer’s lack of empathy for Gaza (The New Arab, March 2025)
Britain’s role in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and the accelerated genocide of the Palestinian people has been more than that of a passive bystander. Both Labour and Conservative politicians resisted calls for a ceasefire, with Labour eventually agreeing to support a pause in the slaughter under pressure from widespread national protests and demands from party MPs.
I saw illegality and complicity with war crimes. That’s why I quit the UK Foreign Office. Mark Smith
In August 2024, I resigned over the UK government’s refusal to halt arms sales to Israel amid the bombardment of Gaza. This decision followed over a year of internal lobbying and whistleblowing. My resignation made headlines, and weeks later, the new Labour government announced it would finally suspend arms sales to Israel. (The Guardian, February 2025)
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