Keir Starmer Suffers Major Rebellion in Gaza Ceasefire Vote

More than a quarter of Labour MPs crossed the party line to back a ceasefire, including ten who quit the frontbench to do so.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer delivers a speech on the situation in the Middle East at Chatham House in central London on Oct. 31, 2023. Stefan Rousseau/PA

Sir Keir Starmer lost ten frontbenchers on Wednesday as more than a quarter of Labour MPs rebelled to vote for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Labour proposed an alternative amendment to the King’s Speech Motion to back “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza, but 56 Labour MPs, including eight junior shadow ministers and two parliamentary private secretaries, crossed the party line to support Scottish National Party’s (SNP) amendment to back a ceasefire.