Sadiq Khan breaks ranks with Starmer to accuse Israel of genocide

 Sir Sadiq Khan is facing a Labour backlash after breaking ranks with Sir Keir Starmer to accuse Israel of genocide.

The Labour Mayor of London went further than his party’s position as he claimed it was “inescapable” that a genocide was taking place in Gaza.

The Government said earlier this month that Israel was not committing genocide but “must do much more” to prevent suffering in the war. Sir Keir is expected to recognise Palestine as a formal state this weekend, after Donald Trump concludes his state visit to Britain.

Labour critics of Sir Sadiq accused him of making “inflammatory” remarks and questioned his wider response to the conflict.

Speaking at a people’s question time event in London on Wednesday night, Sir Sadiq said: “I think what’s happening in Gaza is a genocide.

“When I see the images of the children starving – 20,000 children have starved because of the policies of the Israeli government – when I see the health system in Gaza collapsed, when I see the lack of supplies reaching people in need, when I see the famine that is man-made, when I read the interim judgment of the ICJ [International Court of Justice] and then see a UN commission report this week, I think it’s inescapable to draw the conclusion in Gaza we are seeing before our very eyes, a genocide.”

Alex Hearn, co-director of Labour Against Antisemitism, said: “It is time for the Government to publicly clarify what it has already said in private, that there is no genocide occurring in Gaza.

“While civilian casualties in any conflict are tragic, they alone do not constitute genocide under international law, nor is there sufficient legal evidence to support such a characterisation.

“Rather than making inflammatory statements on international issues outside his mayoral remit, Sir Sadiq should focus on his responsibility to support London’s Jewish community, who he has failed to adequately protect over the past two years.”

One Labour MP added: “It’s disappointing that a mayor would drift into extremely contentious and sensitive definitions of the terrible events in Gaza.

“Mayors do not have the expertise in international humanitarian law to reach this conclusion, and should stay in their lane and let the Foreign Office define the UK’s stance.”

Sir Sadiq’s remarks also drew heavy condemnation from the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

A spokesman said: “Sadiq Khan promised to be a mayor for all Londoners, yet this position will alienate large sections of London’s population.

“We would recommend that the Mayor sticks to fixing issues facing Londoners rather than freelancing on foreign policy in ways that risk exacerbating divisions in our own communities.”

Sir Sadiq has previously been criticised for suggesting there must be equally strong criticism of the actions of Hamas and Israel.

He was also accused of not doing enough to crack down on anti-Semitic incidents that took place during weekly pro-Palestinian marches in the aftermath of the Oct 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas and the subsequent war in Gaza.

Britain, France, Australia and Canada are expected to recognise a Palestinian state at a meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York next week.

Sir Keir will not be attending the meeting, with the UK instead represented by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, and David Lammy, the Justice Secretary.

The Prime Minister announced in July that the UK would recognise Palestinian statehood unless Israel agreed to a ceasefire, committed to a two-state solution, and ruled out annexation of the occupied West Bank.

He said at the time: “I’ve always said we will recognise a Palestinian state as a contribution to a proper peace process, at the moment of maximum impact for the two-state solution.

“With that solution now under threat, this is the moment to act.”

Sir Keir faced sustained pressure on the issue from within his parliamentary party, with a third of the Cabinet and more than 130 MPs signing a letter urging the Prime Minister to act.

Sir Sadiq is the most high-profile Labour figure to date to accuse Israel of genocide, and his intervention follows almost two years of party division on the issue.

Earlier this week, the UN asserted for the first time that Israel’s war in Gaza amounted to genocide as defined by the 1948 Genocide Convention.

Downing Street replied by stating that rulings on any such allegations could only be made by international courts.

Sir Sadiq’s claim followed his criticism on Donald Trump as the US president arrived in Britain for his state visit. Sir Sadiq said Mr Trump’s actions in the White House were “straight out of the autocrat’s playbook”. 

It was the latest development in the long war of words between the two men: in July, the president called Sir Sadiq a “nasty person” and said that he was doing a “terrible job” as London’s mayor.

The Government was quick to distance itself from Sir Sadiq’s comments, and noted he had also acknowledged that Sir Keir wanted to strengthen ties between the UK and the US.