Extracts from Politico's London Playbook: Israel / Gaza and BDS - Oct 25

HIGH NOON: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer are gearing up for a highly charged session of PMQs followed by a debate on the government’s contentious bill aimed at stopping public bodies from boycotting Israel.

Holding the line: There’s no discernible difference between the Tory and Labour front bench positions on the war between Israel and Hamas — expect the top lines from Sunak and Starmer to remain the same.

However: There is now considerable dissent building on the Labour benches over Starmer’s language on the crisis — and it’s something the Tories now think they can capitalize on.

Out of the frying pan and into the flames: Starmer and Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner will meet Muslim MPs and peers at 12.45 p.m., straight after PMQs, one MP invited tells Playbook. And it’s not just Muslim MPs who have been raising concerns with the leadership. A shadow minister said: “It’s united MPs on the left, right and center of the party … There’s no recognition that we are haemorrhaging Muslim votes massively, enough to lose seats if there was an election tomorrow.”

More backlash: A different Labour MP said they had received 1,000 emails from constituents “the majority of whom were not Muslim voters.” A centrist Labour MP told my colleague Esther Webber that Starmer’s handling of the row was “infuriating a lot of people.”

On the agenda for the meeting: Starmer’s LBC interview which sparked the whole row … the emails from constituents pouring into Labour MPs’ inboxes … the resignation of Labour councillors … and the controversy over Starmer’s visit to the South Wales Islamic Center, covered by my colleague Emilio Casalicchio on Tuesday afternoon. Channel 4’s Darshna Soni reported Tuesday night that the entire Leicester City Council Labour group is urging Starmer to back a ceasefire.

Another problem: MPs on the hard-left fringe of Labour are creating a headache for the leadership. Corbyn-era Shadow Minister Andy McDonald is under fire from the Tories for a post blaming Israel for the horrific strike on a Gaza hospital, when Western intelligence agencies have since indicated they think the explosion was caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket. McDonald’s thread on X is still up, as the Express points out. It’s not the only one — there are similar posts from Zarah Sultana and Apsana Begum on X.

Most importantly: This is a topic that divides the shadow Cabinet. One shad cab minister told my colleague Aggie Chambre that some Labour MPs were really angry and fearful they could lose their seats. And a Labour aide told Playbook that “this is reasonable party members, advocates, MPs, councillors, and shadow Cabinet members trying to get the party into a better position … Ceasefire is not the right word but there has got to be some sort of humanitarian pause.” Critics say the issue will come to a head in the next few days, particularly with EU leaders meeting on Thursday and updating their response to the crisis.   

On the other hand: Another shadow Cabinet minister told Playbook that Starmer was in the right place on this. “We can’t be persuaded into being swayed by one side’s perception — I don’t think there’s any way that we can row back from 100 percent support with Israel,” they said.

ALSO FACING A GRILLING: BBC Director General Tim Davie will make his extraordinary appearance before the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers this afternoon (H/t Kevin Schofield). The BBC has come under fire over its decision not to call Hamas terrorists.

FROM NOON THROUGH THE AFTERNOON: Labour might have more disgruntled backbenchers on this issue, but Tory unity will also be tested today. The Commons will debate and vote on amendments to the government’s controversial anti-BDS bill. The legislation has attracted criticism from MPs across the Tory party — but ministers have refused to budge and that’s not about to change. Playbook hears there could be at least three votes on amendments. Amendment no. 7, signed by a decent chunk of Tory MPs including Kit Malthouse, Alicia Kearns and George Eustice, is the one to watch.

Nonetheless: Tory critics of the BDS bill are downbeat about their chances of having any impact. “The government’s not listening,” one said. “They are going to win the vote … The story has moved on.” Another Tory MP estimated there would be just half a dozen rebels. A third Tory MP who has no intention of rebelling privately said: “Even the Americans are more nuanced than us on this.”