In another instance of Labour Party prospective MPs taking flight when scrutinised, a voter asked the candidate for Bethnal Green and Stepney, Rushanara Ali, if he could ask her a question.
But like shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves did earlier this year when asked questions on Palestine, Ali promptly ran away:
Labour MP’s are having a rough time on the campaign trail.
Rushanara Ali is asked by a voter if they can ask her some questions about her actions on Gaza.
What transpires is far from an MP campaigning for votes, Labour have no response to the communities they claim to serve 🥀 pic.twitter.com/zSIEGLXgwY
— Newham Independents 💛 (@NewhamIndParty) June 18, 2024
Labour: sprinting off
Then there’s shadow secretary for culture, media and sport Thangam Debbonaire, candidate for Bristol Central. Earlier in June, Owen Jones tried to asked her whether she supports an arms embargo on Israel amid its genocide against Palestinian people in Gaza.
But she ran off too:
I tried to have a little chat with Labour’s Shadow Cabinet minister Thangam Debbonaire in Bristol Central.
It didn’t go very well. pic.twitter.com/GuYY5viHdw
— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) June 4, 2024
Labour candidates running away from questions on Gaza didn’t begin in the election. Residents challenged Reeves on the party’s record on Israel in February. One asked:
It’s alright they’re just simple questions. Like how do you feel about Israel turning off the water?… Rachel would you be able to live without water?
Rachel Reeves challenged by residents whilst out campaigning today in Leeds.
Rachel doesn’t want to have the conversation about Gaza and her stance.
Her constituents have been trying to speak to her for months, she keeps running from them. pic.twitter.com/vsRrDUyZyx
— Newham Independents 💛 (@NewhamIndParty) February 17, 2024
On 20 May, the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan referenced Israel “cutting off cross-border water pipelines from Israel to Gaza – Gazans’ principal source of clean water – for a prolonged period” as a war crime he’s seeking arrest warrants for.
In February, Labour’s Rochdale candidate Azhar Ali marked another instance of Labour people trying to run the country without answering questions.
Ali sped away in his car when reporters from 5 Pillars asked him “is Labour a party of genocide?”
Labour Rochdale candidate Azhar Ali runs away from Muslim journalists when asked about his party backing Israel cutting off of food and fuel from Palestinians in Gaza. This Feb 29 in Rochdale’s by-election, vote against British support for Israeli brutality – vote George Galloway pic.twitter.com/fMPuRMkkDA
— ashok kumar 🇵🇸 (@broseph_stalin) February 9, 2024
More running – this time from hustings
The Labour candidate challenging Jeremy Corbyn (who’s running as an independent), is also hiding from scrutiny. Praful Nargund has refused to attend multiple hustings in Islington North on the NHS and housing.
Another Labour candidate, Gareth Thomas for Harrow West, is also dodging hustings. The Independent candidate challenging him, Pamela Fitzpatrick, said:
No one should vote for a candidate so arrogant and contemptuous of the electorate that he can’t be bothered to take part in the democratic process of hustings.
As well as legging it from Owen Jones, Bristol Central candidate Debbonaire also refused to attend a community hustings. Paradoxically, she claimed she couldn’t attend because she’s “focusing on speaking with local people directly”.
Labour’s candidate for Lancaster and Wyre, Cat Smith, also refused to attend hustings. She used the fact that the Conservative candidate pulled out as an excuse for not attending.
Mary Glindon, Labour candidate for Newcastle East and Wallsend, joined her prospective colleagues in sidestepping democratic debate. The only hustings in the constituency was cancelled after she refused to attend.
The combination of hubris and fear of scrutiny from Starmer’s Labour is a toxic combination. The public only gets a say in who runs the country every five years. We deserve better than this.
Featured image via Newham Independents – X
