Four south London councillors have had the Labour whip suspended for defying the party and voting in favour of a Gaza ceasefire.
One Labour rebel has since resigned over the incident, which has been branded “outrageous” by the party’s left-wing faction group Momentum.
Lambeth Labour has defended its decision to discipline the four councillors, saying it is “paramount that Labour councillors respect the democratic processes and collective decision making”.
At a full Lambeth Council meeting on January 24, Sonia Winifred, Martin Abrams, and Deepak Sardiwal defied the Labour whip and voted in favour of a Green Party motion calling for “an immediate ceasefire and the end to human rights atrocities in the Israel/Palestine conflict”.
The motion asked Labour council leader Claire Holland to write to prime minister Rishi Sunak and Opposition Leader Sir Keir Starmer, urging them to call for a ceasefire.
Labour councillor Sarina Da Silva also defied the whip by abstaining from the vote. The ceasefire motion was eventually voted down.
Labour this week suspended Ms Winifred for three months over the rebellion, prompting her to resign from her position as member for Knight’s Hill ward.
Mr Abrams, member for Streatham St Leonard’s, has been suspended by Labour “indefinitely”. Mr Sardiwal, member for Herne Hill & Loughborough Junction, has been suspended for three months, while Ms Da Silva, member for Waterloo and South Bank, has been suspended for two.
On X, formerly Twitter, Ms Winifred wrote on Tuesday: “My actions on Wednesday 24 January voting FOR the ceasefire motion, resulting in disciplinary hearing on Monday 26 February left me no choice but to resign my position on Lambeth Council as Councillor for Knights Hill Ward with immediate effect.”
A statement for Residents of Streatham St. Leonard's and Members of @StreathamSLLab pic.twitter.com/soW6fLdp0t
— Cllr Martin Abrams 🕊️🍉 (@Martin_Abrams) February 27, 2024
Vauxhall Labour MP Florence Eshalomi said on X she was “very sorry” to see Ms Winifred standing down. “I have [known] and worked with Sonia for many years - a real community champion for some of the people who often don’t get a voice or seat at the table,” she wrote.
Cllr Abrams, who is Jewish and has been outspoken in his support for Palestine, defended his decision to back a ceasefire in Gaza.
“As a councillor with a very diverse ward with sizeable Muslim and Jewish communities, I have been consistent in condemning the horrific attacks by Hamas on October 7, but I have also been clear that one crime does not justify another and I believe in Gaza we are witnessing one of the greatest crimes of our age,” he said.
“As someone from a Jewish background I have found the past four months to be emotionally challenging, both personally and professionally, amid the constant stream of horrific images coming out of Gaza.
“The vast majority of people I have spoken to want an immediate end to the violence and that is reflective of the country and Labour Party membership.
“My vote for the ceasefire motion was a matter of conscience for me.
“I will continue to serve as councillor for Streatham St Leonard's ward and continue to work tirelessly for every single member and resident of our vibrant and diverse community of Streatham.”
Deputy leader of the Green Party, Zack Polanski, expressed “huge solidarity” with Mr Abrams on X, formerly Twitter.
It is understood Mr Abrams is able to apply to rejoin the Lambeth Labour group after six months.
Please read below Lambeth Labour Group's statement on the motion submitted to tonight's Full Council meeting concerning the conflict in the Middle East pic.twitter.com/cbquXDGk5C
— Lambeth Labour (@LambethLabour) January 24, 2024
A Lambeth Labour Group spokesperson said: “In January, Lambeth Council voted against a motion from the Green Party that risked the community cohesion we have here in Lambeth. Lambeth Labour Group took the collective decision to not support the motion as explained in our statement here.
“Four Labour councillors did not vote in line with the Labour Group’s agreed response to the motion. This breaches Labour Party rules, and following an investigation and a group vote, a decision was made to take disciplinary action.
“It is paramount that Labour councillors respect the democratic processes and collective decision making that enables us to function as the ruling group on Lambeth Council. It is these process that will see us approve a balanced budget at council tonight, that supports residents through the cost of living crisis and protects them from the impact of Conservative cuts to local services.”
Momentum, of which Mr Abrams is a member, described the action against him as “outrageous” and “anti-democratic”.“This is an outrageous attack on a Jewish Labour councillor for having the temerity to stand up for the people of Gaza,” said a Momentum spokesperson.
“Martin is a principled socialist and internationalist - and it is shocking that he has been forced out for standing up for a position endorsed by the majority of voters. This anti-democratic decision should be immediately reversed.”
The dramatic meeting on January 24 saw angry pro-Palestine protesters escorted from the council chamber’s public gallery, carrying Palestinian flags and shouting “shame on you”, after councillors voted against the ceasefire motion.
Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7 killed some 1,200 people and led to around 250 being taken captive in Gaza.
Since then, Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed at least 29,878 Palestinians have been killed and injured more than 70,000 others, Gaza’s health ministry said on Tuesday.
At least one quarter of Gaza's population - 576,000 people - are one step away from famine and virtually the entire population desperately needs food resulting in aid trucks being shot at, looted and overwhelmed by hungry people, top UN officials said on Tuesday.
Cllrs Sardiwal and Da Silva have been approached by the Standard for a comment.
