Keir Starmer’s Gaza test and the ghost of Tony Blair

The Labour leader’s determination to stand with Israel has prompted a skirmish within his party – he’ll be mindful that this was the same dividing line that finally broke the Blair leadership 17 years ago, writes John Rentoul

Tony Blair and Keir Starmer at the Future of Britain Conference in London (PA)

One of Keir Starmer’s favourite lines is that whenever he sees a problem, he wants to fix it, not “walk around it”. Except today, when faced with a serious challenge to his leadership, during questions in the House of Commons about the Israel-Hamas conflict, he definitely had his walking boots on.

During PMQs, he devoted all six of his questions to the prime minister to the thesis that the defeated Conservative candidate in the Tamworth by-election was merely expressing government policy when he told families unable to feed their children to “eff off”. Other MPs were keener to oppose Rishi Sunak’s policy of standing with Israel.

Stuart McDonald and Mhairi Black for the Scottish National Party called for a ceasefire. So did Colum Eastwood of the Northern Irish Social Democratic and Labour Party, who added another code phrase of the emerging opposition to the common position of the Tory and Labour front benches, accusing Israel of inflicting “collective punishment” on the people of Gaza.