Division within the British Conservative Party has been so common since Brexit that it no longer surprises many people in Westminster. On the other hand, fractures within Labour, the main opposition party, had been rare since Keir Starmer took control of the British left at the beginning of 2020, after the chaotic Corbyn years. But on Wednesday, November 15, they reappeared in full public view, after 56 Labour MPs (out of a total of 198 in the House of Commons) defied party policy by voting to call for an "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza, whereas Starmer only calls for "humanitarian pauses."
The rebel Labour MPs – who like the rest of the House of Commons were due to vote on an amendment calling for a ceasefire introduced by the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) – included eight members of Starmer's shadow cabinet. They were forced to resign their posts immediately for having gone beyond the authority of their leader, even though the SNP amendment was not adopted (due to a lack of support from the Tories). They are therefore giving up a likely ministerial career, as Labour has a good chance of coming out on top in the 2024 general election.
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