Angela Rayner made a surprise appearance at the Annual Palestine Reception at the Labour Party’s annual conference tonight, giving a speech in which she took aim at Israel.
The Deputy Prime Minister’s speech was an unexpected addition to the evening, with the Ashton-under-Lyne MP criticising Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for its actions in Gaza.
Speaking to the dozens of party members gathered in the room, Rayner hit out at Israel for its “unacceptable” actions before reaffirming the Labour Government’s vow to formally recognise the state of Palestine.
The senior politician told those gathered: “Thank you to… Labour Friends of Palestine in the Middle East for inviting me to speak here this evening on behalf of myself and the Prime Minister.
“Though it’s a pleasure to see friends and colleagues at this Palestinian reception, we’re acutely aware of the ongoing situation in Gaza.
“We’ve all seen horrendous scenes play out on our screens for many, many months.
“Over 41, 000 Palestinians have been killed and over 93,000 have been injured. Many of those have been women and children.
“The humanitarian situation is beyond appalling. With dire sanitary conditions, a serious risk of famine, 17 hospitals completely out of service, and the polio outbreak. Aid flows are still far below Israel’s stated claim to flood Gaza with Aid.
“This is unacceptable and much more needs to be done.”
Members on the Left of the Labour Party have long demanded the leadership go further in supporting Palestine against Israel.
Ever since Israel responded to Hamas committing the largest slaughter of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust on October 4 last year, there has been pressure on the UK Government to publicly condemn Israel and scale back relations with the country.
Rayner went on to add: “A two-state solution remains the cornerstone of Labour policy and the international consensus for many years.
“Our Manifesto committed to the recognition of the state of Palestine in order to achieve that two-state solution and I want for reconfirm that commitment tonight.
“Statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people and it is not the gift of the neighbour.”
More to follow…