Lancashire Conservatves
Anneliese Dodds, House of Commons London SW1A 0AA 13
th
February 2024 Dear Anneliese Dodds,
RE: Comments made by Azhar Ali
As Lancashire’s Conservative MPs, we are appalled by the comments of Azhar Ali, leader of the Labour Group on Lancashire County Council & Labour’s Rochdale by
-election candidate, made at a meeting of the Lancashire Labour Group, the recording of which has been published in the Daily Mail over the weekend. To be clear, Mr Ali said of the Hamas attacks on October 7th, which killed 1,400 innocent civilians, that Israel
“deliberately … allowed the masscare … which gives
them the green
light to do whatever they bloody want”.
Engaging in such conspiracy theories is clearly dangerous. Not only does it speak to
Mr Ali’s unsuitability for public office, but it also reduces the scope for legitimate
criticism of Israel based in fact. That these comments were made in private but not publicly raises the possibility that Labour candidates are not being honest with the public about their views, towing the party line for political patronage but saying the opposite when it suits them. As these comments came from a Lancashire Party meeting, we want to seek clarification from the Lancashire Labour Party on the following points: 1.
Were any other Lancashire Labour MP’s, county or borough councillors, or
parliamentary candidates at that meeting, if yes, will you release those names publicly, 2. Did those M
Ps, councillors or candidates speak up to oppose Mr Ali’s
conspiratorial comments, or report them to relevant authorities in the Labour Party? 3. Where in Lancashire did this meeting take place? This is no trivial matter. We as Lancashire Conservatives want to see an end to this conflict through a sustainable ceasefire. We are not however blind to how this conflict started and engaging in conspiracy does nothing to further the cause of a lasting peace.
The Labour Leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has repeatedly told voters he has fixed his party of the problems created by Jeremy Corbyn and is now ready to lead the
country. Voters in Lancashire have a right to know if that’s true, and only by getting
answers to the above questions can they truly find out. Yours faithfully,
Jake Berry MP Ben Wallace MP Sara Britcliffe MP
Andrew Stephenson MP Antony Higginbotham MP
Katherine Fletcher MP Mark Menzies MP
Paul Maynard MP
David Morris MP