Starmer used every trick in the book to stop MPs voting on SNP ceasefire motion

The SNP has been urging the UK government and parliament to endorse an immediate ceasefire between Gaza and Israel over the past months.

Last November, a motion for the ceasefire was introduced in the House of Commons. Remarkably, the motion failed. Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer directed both Tory and Labour Party MPs to reject it and even implied sanctions if any support for the SNP’s initiative was shown.

Since that point, there have been in excess of 29,000 Palestinian casualties, including women, children, and civilians. Large parts of Gaza have experienced severe destruction, with hospitals, family homes, and refugee camps razed to the ground.

The alarming death toll reflects the inevitable failure of Sunak’s and Starmer’s neutral strategy. Failure to act has been glaringly unproductive which led to SNP reintroducing the issue for a vote recently.

This should have been a significant opportunity for MPs to vote for a ceasefire and oppose the collective punishment of the Palestinian people, instead, it morphed into an embarrassing spectacle in the Westminster arena.

Starmer attempted to prevent his MPs from supporting the SNP’s ceasefire motion with a blatantly political objective; he employed every possible Westminster manoeuvre to delay, diminish and dismiss a vote on the SNP motion.

Consequently, the MPs were denied the opportunity to vote for the SNP initiative. Despite the apology the SNP received from the House of Commons Speaker, it’s the citizens of Gaza, and voters in Glasgow, Scotland, who feel the brunt of Westminster’s letdowns.

Despite the setback, the SNP pledges to continue pushing the UK government to join the majority of the international community in endorsing an immediate ceasefire.

It’s not merely symbolism or sending a powerful and explicit message. It’s about compelling the UK government to collaborate with other world leaders and employ every means within its power to effectuate a ceasefire.

Being an ally of Israel and the United States, and a permanent member of the UN security council, the UK carries significant clout. We can’t allow those opposing a ceasefire to dismiss the UK’s vote as inconsequential.

Still, some positives can be gleaned from this week’s happenings. Persistent pressure from the SNP and people in Scotland finally resulted in Keir Starmer relenting and agreeing to back a ceasefire.

Not so long ago, Starmer was defending Israel’s right to deprive Gaza of food, water and power – essentially supporting collective punishment.

To be clear, only because the SNP adhered to our values and applied political pressure, Sir Keir was nudged into shifting his position. It’s a significant victory as he seems likely to become Prime Minister within the next few months.

It is now incumbent on every one of us to apply the maximum pressure on Rishi Sunak to act likewise. We urge you to write to your MP, participate in protests and show the UK government that Glasgow, Scotland has reached its limit.