The Labour MP for Bradford Imran Hussain has become the first Labour frontbencher to resign last night saying he wanted to “strongly advocate for a ceasefire” in Gaza.
In a statement on X he said
“I want to be able to strongly advocate for a ceasefire, as called for by the UN General Secretary. In order to be fully free to do so, I have tonight stepped down from Labour’s Frontbench.”
He said he had “unequivocally condemned” Hamas’s attack on 7 October and believed that “every country has the right to defend itself”, but that that should “never become a right to deliberately violate international law on protecting civilians or to commit war crimes”.
He described the situation in Gaza as “beyond that of a humanitarian catastrophe” and said a ceasefire would help both the passage of aid into the territory and the safe return of Israeli hostages.
