Labour candidate kicked out of party in anti-Semitism row fighting for council seat
A Labour candidate who was kicked out of the party over anti-Semitic rhetoric is fighting to hold onto his council seat.
Azhar Ali was dropped by Labour in last year's Rochdale by-election after he was found to have spread a conspiracy theory about the Oct 7 attacks on Israel.
But now he is standing as an independent in the Nelson east division of Lancashire county council, which he has represented since 2013.
The May 1 contest is said to be a 'litmus test' for anti-Israel sentiment in the area.
Mr Ali was formerly the Labour leader of the council and holds an Order of the British Empire medal for services to his community.
During the February 2024 Rochdale by-election, Labour pulled its support for Mr Ali after he argued that Israel had 'allowed' the Oct 7 atrocities to happen in order to justify a war in Gaza.
'Deeply offensive and ignorant'
He swiftly apologised for the 'deeply offensive, ignorant and false' comments and Labour continued to support his candidacy.
But when a subsequent tape showed Mr Ali making insinuations about 'certain Jewish quarters' in the media, he was unceremoniously dropped by Sir Keir Starmer.
However, he was still listed as Labour's candidate on the Rochdale ballot paper because it was too late to replace him. He lost the by-election to George Galloway.
Mr Ali continued to campaign to win the seat despite the party pulling all resources and support. He came fourth in the election, winning just 7.7 per cent of votes cast. On winning the seat, Mr Galloway said: 'Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza.'
The election raised concerns in Labour about falling support in some of Britain's Muslim communities after the party refused to back an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.
At the general election, Labour took back the Rochdale seat from Mr Galloway.
Mohammed Iqbal, who was dropped by Labour during the Rochdale by-election for continuing to campaign for Mr Ali, is also standing to retain his Lancashire council seat.
'Appalling conspiracy theory'
Lord Walney, the government's outgoing advisor on political violence and disruption, told The Telegraph: 'Azhar Ali's journey from apparent ally of Labour moderates to anti-Labour independent highlights both why it is so important to challenge lingering pockets of anti-Semitism in the party – and the repercussions they can face when they do the right thing.
'In one sense, this election will be a litmus test of the local anti-Israel sentiment that tolerated his appalling conspiracy theory.
'But whatever the result, Labour must remain determined to face down this intolerance and also be mindful of the wider electoral cost across the country if they were seen to bend to it.'
Mr Ali first apologised after the Mail on Sunday published a recording of him at a public meeting.
On the tape, Mr Ali is heard saying of the Oct 7 massacre: 'The Egyptians are saying that they warned Israel 10 days earlier… Americans warned them a day before [that]… there's something happening. They deliberately took the security off, they allowed… that massacre that gives them the green light to do whatever they bloody want.'
In a follow-up story, the Daily Mail reported that Mr Ali blamed 'people in the media from certain Jewish quarters' for 'giving crap' to Andy McDonald, an MP suspended by Labour after he used the controversial phrase 'between the river and the sea' in a speech.
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