The Labour Party in the UK has lost control of Norwich City Council after four city councillors and one county councillor quit the party. The resignations mean that Labour no longer has majority control at City Hall, but remains the largest group.
The councillors in Norwich resigned saying they were no longer aligned with the principles of the party nationally or locally.
At least 50 Labour councillors have resigned since October 7 to protest the party leader Keir Starmer's refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. These resignations also cost the party control of the Burnley and Oxford councils.
While the councillors did not directly mention Gaza in their statement about their resignations from the party but the Morning Star notes that "they resigned on the same day as a mass protest was held outside the City Hall, pressing the council to come out for a ceasefire in Gaza."
The statement said:
After long and careful consideration we have made the heartbreaking decision to leave the Labour Party and become independent councillors.
There are many reasons, but in essence we no longer consider the current national and local Labour Party matches the overriding principles that guide our work.
On November 15, 56 parlimentary Labour lawmakers -- including several on Starmer's policy team -- voted for a ceasefire despite fierce efforts to prevent this, showing that there is tremendous disquiet within the ranks over the issue as well as the other hard shifts to the right Starmer has taken.