Labour Operation Faces Fury After "Absolute Mess" Of Rochdale By-Election

Labour's handling of the Rochdale by-election, which culminated in Keir Starmer's party cutting ties with the candidate chosen by local members, has triggered fresh criticism of the opposition's political operation.

On Monday night, a party spokesperson confirmed that Labour had withdrawn its support for Azhar Ali over comments he made about Israel before being chosen as the candidate for the by-election due to be held in Rochdale on 29 February. Electoral law means it is too late for Labour to replace Ali on the ballot, putting the party in the awkward and bizarre position of having no candidate to succeed the seat's former Labour MP Sir Tony Lloyd, who died in January.

The short period between the Mail on Sunday reporting on Saturday night that Ali said Israel had "allowed" the 7 October Hamas attack, and Labour last night formally cutting ties with the candidate, was a rocky and uncomfortable one.

On Tuesday Starmer insisted that he had taken "decisive action" and a "tough decision" to withdraw support from Ali.

“When information came to light over the weekend in relation to the candidate, there was a fulsome apology," the Labour leader said during a campaign visit to Wellingborough. 

"Further information came to light yesterday calling for decisive action so I took decisive action. It is a huge thing to withdraw support for a Labour candidate during the course of a by-election. It is a tough decision, a necessary decision. But when I say the Labour Party is charged under my leadership, I mean it.”

But the Labour leadership has faced widespread criticism — including from figures within the party — for not jettisoning Ali immediately, and fresh questions about the quality of the decision making following last week's U-turn