GLASGOW - British opposition leader Keir Starmer said the “fighting must stop now” in Gaza, as he prepares for another sensitive Parliament vote this week that could reignite tensions in his Labour Party.

“Any ceasefire cannot be one-sided,” Mr Starmer told the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow on Feb 18. “It must stop all acts of violence, on both sides, it must lead to a genuine peace process.”

The remarks were made as the Scottish National Party (SNP) prepares to propose a motion in the House of Commons calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in the Israel-Hamas war.

MPs will vote on the motion on Feb 21, and though non-binding, it poses trouble for Mr Starmer as a similar vote in November 2023 led to a rebellion by dozens of his lawmakers.

The SNP is running neck-and-neck with Labour in Scottish polls. 

Ever since Hamas’ October attack on Israel, Mr Starmer has been battling to keep his party aligned.

He’s resisted pressure from some Labour MPs to call for an “immediate” ceasefire, arguing the term implies unilateral and unconditional, which he has said would deprive Israel of its right to defend itself and leave Hamas in a position to launch further attacks. 

It’s a stance designed to align with the Britain’s official position, and to present Labour – which has a commanding lead in country-wide surveys ahead of a general election later 2024 – as a legitimate government-in-waiting.

It also reflects his desire to showcase how much the party has moved on from the era of predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, which was dogged by accusations of anti-Semitism.

Yet it has angered some within Labour, which traditionally has strong support among British Muslims.

Mr Starmer has faced criticism at pro-Palestinian rallies in London and other cities, while last week the party dropped campaign support for its candidate in Rochdale, northern England, after he was recorded sharing an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about the Oct 7 Hamas attack.

In his speech on Feb 18 to the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow, Mr Starmer still did not use the term “immediate” ceasefire.

He reiterated that any ceasefire must be permanent, “not just for a pause”. He also said that Israel’s threatened offensive in the Rafah area of Gaza “cannot happen”.

“This cannot become a new theater of war,” Mr Starmer said.

Hours earlier, though, Mr Starmer’s spokesman on foreign affairs David Lammy did not rule out shifting Labour’s position.

Speaking to the BBC, he said the party would “scrutinise” the SNP motion – though he said the key was whether it set out demands for a ceasefire to be “sustainable”.

“We want the ceasefire to last and to be permanent, and to move toward the diplomatic solution,” Mr Lammy said.

He also pointed out that political manoeuvres in Parliament would not have a bearing on events in the Middle East.

“It’s not that vote that will bring about a ceasefire,” he said. “It’s the diplomatic action, it’s Hamas, it’s Benjamin Netanyahu. It’s partners for peace saying the fighting must now stop.”

That was an apparent reference to the SNP’s attempt to pressure Labour to vote for its motion on Feb 21.

The Scottish party’s leader in Westminster, Mr Stephen Flynn, wrote an open letter saying MPs have a “moral duty” to act.

“I urge you to be on the right side of history and join us,” he said.

Mr Starmer had endured one of the worst weeks of his tenure over the furore over Labour’s candidate in Rochdale, until two strong wins in special elections over the Tories suggested he still has the momentum in the build-up to the general election, expected in the second half of 2024.

The question is whether that will help him prevent another rebellion over Gaza on Feb 21. BLOOMBERG