Nigel Farage believes the crisis currently engulfing the Labour Party after it pulled support for Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali proves leader Sir Keir Starmer is failing in his mission to change his party.
Sir Keir has insisted he took “tough” and “decisive” action to pull the plug after a storm of criticism about remarks Mr Ali made about Israel.
However, with a second Labour parliamentary candidate now suspended over similar comments, Mr Farage believes the former Director of Public Prosecutions is fighting a losing battle.
He told GB News: “Last night I said I found it extraordinary that Azhar Ali still had the confidence and support of the Labour Party. I couldn’t imagine any other party keeping somebody who’d said what he’d said.
“The idea that the Israeli government would allow a massacre of their own people is quite beyond the realms, but that was what he said.
“What was extraordinary was the lack of protest in that Labour party meetings to what he said.”
Former Brexit Party leader Mr Farage acknowledged that Sir Keir’s “main achievement” had been to “drive out the very, very hard left to make the Labour Party far less scary”.
He continued: “It began, of course, with Jeremy Corbyn, who can’t stand as a candidate. Diane Abbott was suspended for saying Irish people, Jews and travellers did not experience racism and the list goes on and on.
“But has the Labour Party changed? It has changed a bit, but it can’t afford to change completely because my view is, if they were to suspend and get rid of everybody that was deeply critical of Israel, I think there wouldn’t be almost anybody left in the modern-day Labour Party.”
Mr Farage continued: “I think that this by-election in Rochdale is one of the most extraordinary and fascinating by-elections. I now think Rochdale could be a very big clue to the future.”
Referring to the Workers’ Party of Britain and Reform UK candidates respectively, both of whom are ex-Labour MPs, Mr Farage said: “If you look at the literature that George Galloway is putting out, it’s Gaza, Gaza, Gaza. If you look at what Danczuk is saying today it’s, ‘I will put Rochdale ahead of Gaza.’ It’s a fascinating contest.
“If Galloway was to win the longer-term implications for Labour are quite serious.
“The lack of objection to what was said at that meeting in a room full of Labour Party members was what I found astonishing.
“The Labour Party can’t really change too much as it relies on Muslim votes to such a large degree.”
Mr Farage concluded: “I don’t doubt actually that Keir Starmer has tried to change the Labour Party but it doesn’t look very changed to me.
“He has actually kicked people out of the party, he stopped Jeremy Corbyn from standing again.
“He might have dithered for a day or so when it came to the by-election in Rochdale but to be fair to him, I think he’s actually tried. I just think this stuff is so deep-rooted within the Labour Party.”
Audio emerged on Tuesday that appeared to show former Labour MP Graham Jones use the words “f****** Israel” at the same meeting that led to the withdrawal of support for Mr Ali, while also allegedly suggesting that British people who volunteer to fight with the Israeli Defence Forces should be “locked up”.
Speaking in Wellingborough today, Sir Keir said: “Certain information came to light over the weekend in relation to the candidate. There was a fulsome apology. 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’s a tough decision, a necessary decision, but when I say the Labour Party has changed under my leadership I mean it.”
