Labour Rochdale candidate Azhar Ali 'ditched after he hit out at Jews in media'
Labour ditched support for its Rochdale by-election candidate after learning he'd lashed out at "people in the media from certain Jewish quarters", it is claimed.
The party last night confirmed it wouldn't be backing Azhar Ali "following new information about further comments". It came shortly before the Daily Mail released a recording of remarks Mr Ali made, which also accused Israel of a "land grab".
The candidate, who was selected to stand following the death of Labour stalwart Sir Tony Lloyd, is understood to be suspended pending an investigation. Labour originally stood by him after he apologised for claiming Israel let Hamas carry out the October 7 attacks as a pretext for war.
A new recording obtained by The Mail shows Mr Ali saying Labour MP Andy McDonald "shouldn't have been suspended" for using the phrase "from the river to the sea". He went on to tell a meeting of the Lancashire Labour Party: "The media – and some of the people in the media from certain Jewish quarters – were giving crap about what he said."
He added that Israel planned to "get rid" of Palestinians from Gaza, describing it as a "land grab". According to The Mail, he also boasted about preventing Israeli flags being flown from public buildings.
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Labour leader Keir Starmer said: "I took decisive action it is a huge thing to withdraw support for a Labour candidate during the course of a by-election, it's a tough decision but a necessary decision." Asked if others who were present at the October meeting where Mr Ali made the remarks could face action, he said a "full investigation" would take place.
Pressed on how he would recommend voters in Rochdale support in the upcoming by-election he said: "Voters in Rochdale will have to determine who they vote for but I'm not prepared to put forward a Labour candidate unless I think that candidate is fit to be a Labour MP."
The Labour leader has come under fire over his handling of the remarks. Lawyer Martin Forde, who led a review into the party's culture, said there was a "disparity in treatment" of allegations of antisemitism. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I'm aware from discussions with some of the MPs within the party - who might be described as left-leaning - that they feel that when it comes to disciplinary action taken against them then things move rather slowly, but if you're in the right faction of the party, as it were, then things are dealt with either more leniently or more swiftly.
The decision to suspend Mr Ali came after intense pressure which saw Labour initially claim he had been taken in by an "online conspiracy theory". Labour's national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden said the party acted because "new information and more comments have come to light which meant that we had to look at this situation again".
In a statement the party said: "Following new information about further comments made by Azhar Ali coming to light today, the Labour Party has withdrawn its support for Azhar Ali as our candidate in the Rochdale by-election.
"Keir Starmer has changed Labour so that it is unrecognisible from the party of 2019. We understand that these are highly unusual circumstances but it is vital that any candidate put forward by Labour fully represents its aims and values. Given that nominations have now closed Azhar Ali cannot be replaced as the candidate."
Mr Ali, a Lancashire County Councillor, apologised to the Jewish community and retracted his original remarks, which he described as "deeply offensive, ignorant and false". Shadow minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said Mr Ali had fallen "for an online conspiracy theory" and insisted Labour would "continue this campaign in Rochdale".
Frontbenchers Lisa Nandy and Anneliese Dodds had been out campaigning for Mr Ali in the constituency at the weekend. A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: "Sir Keir Starmer has blotted an otherwise fairly admirable copybook and given the public reason to doubt the earnestness of his promise to tear antisemitism out 'by its roots' in Labour.
"People will have to judge for themselves whether the additional reported comments by Azhar Ali are really any worse than the comments that had already been reported. Rather than appearing as a principled decision, Labour's withdrawal of support for its candidate at this late stage just looks as expedient as the failed attempt to defend him. It is the worst of all worlds for Labour."
It has been seized on by the Tories, with Rishi Sunak telling GB News viewers on Monday at an event in County Durham, said it was a "con" to suggest Labour has been reformed.
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He said: "Keir Starmer has been running around for the last year trying to tell everybody 'Okay, Labour Party's changed'. Well, look what just happened in Rochdale." He accused Sir Keir of having "stood by and sent cabinet ministers to support him, until literally five minutes before I walked on tonight, under enormous media pressure, has decided to change his mind on principle".
If elected on February 29, Mr Ali will sit as an independent MP and will not receive the party whip. The decision means that Labour will also need to find a new candidate to contest the seat at the upcoming general election.
The Mirror has contacted Mr Ali for comment.
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