Starmer’s Labour Shows Its Disciplinary Double Standards Over Clive Lewis Post 

In an all-too-familiar display of selective outrage, Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party has rushed to discipline one of its few remaining left-wing MPs while continuing to ignore inflammatory statements from its pro-Israel contingent. 

Clive Lewis, the Norwich South MP who once had the temerity to challenge Starmer for the Party leadership, has been formally reprimanded for sharing a social media post that accused the Prime Minister of taking “Israel’s money and orders” a statement the Party apparatus has condemned as containing “incorrect and unacceptable tropes.” 

The post in question, originally shared by historian Louise Raw, featured an image of a distressed child along with the words: “Very sorry about the photo but I want to understand how everyone isn’t screaming inside. A precious baby still trying to smile and show love. How aren’t you in tears every day @Keir_Starmer? You have kids. How are you still taking Israel’s money & orders? HOW?” 

Lewis reportedly deleted the repost after a community note on the original post revealed the image actually showed a Turkish child with a rare genetic skin disorder, unrelated to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. 

One Rule for the Left, Another for the Right 

What’s telling about this incident isn’t Lewis’s error, which he acknowledged and corrected, but the lightning speed with which the Labour leadership moved to formally discipline him. This stands in stark contrast to the Party’s notable silence when MPs from the Party’s right wing have made inflammatory statements about Palestinians or Muslims. 

Lewis, a Black British Army veteran who has consistently stood against oppression, found himself swiftly reminded of “the high standards of conduct expected by representatives of the Labour Party” – standards that apparently don’t apply equally to all Labour representatives. 

The formal reminder of conduct sends a clear message about which topics are permissible for critique within Starmer’s increasingly authoritarian Party structure. Criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza, which have killed over 40,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children, appears to be treated more severely than almost any other political misstep. 

The Uncomfortable Context 

What Labour’s terse statement conveniently ignores is the context in which Lewis’s repost occurred. For months, Starmer has refused to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, has consistently downplayed Palestinian suffering, and has maintained the UK’s arms sales to Israel despite mounting evidence of war crimes. 

The Labour leader initially even defended Israel’s right to cut off water and electricity to Gaza, a clear violation of international humanitarian law, before being forced to backtrack after public outcry. 

While the specific language in Raw’s post deserves scrutiny, the underlying frustration it expresses about Starmer’s moral abdication on Gaza resonates with millions across Britain who have watched in horror as Palestinian civilians are killed with weapons supplied by the UK and its allies. 

Selective Enforcement 

Labour’s disciplinary processes have increasingly come under fire for their apparent political bias. Critics point out that pro-Palestinian voices within the Party face swift discipline, while Islamophobic or anti-Palestinian statements often go unchallenged. 

Some 41 of Labour’s 197 sitting MPs have accepted money from the Israel lobby, Declassified has found.

The value of the donations amounts to over £280,000, with Israel lobby groups paying for Labour MPs to visit Israel on over 50 occasions since 1999. Without any repercussions, despite the International Court of Justice finding it plausible that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

A Labour spokesperson confirmed: “This social media post expresses incorrect and unacceptable tropes. Clive Lewis MP has deleted the repost and rightly apologised for the offence caused. Mr Lewis has been reminded about the high standards of conduct expected by representatives of the Labour Party.” 

Lewis himself has yet to comment publicly on the disciplinary action. 

The Broader Pattern 

This incident is merely the latest chapter in Starmer’s systematic purge of left-wing voices from the Labour Party. From the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn to the blocking of left candidates, from the abandonment of key manifesto pledges to the welcoming of Conservative defectors, Starmer has methodically transformed Labour from a vehicle for progressive change into a managerial Party comfortable with the status quo. 

For many former Labour supporters, the treatment of Lewis, one of the few MPs brave enough to consistently challenge the leadership on issues of principle, represents yet another step in Labour’s rightward march and its increasing intolerance of internal dissent. 

As Gaza continues to be bombed to rubble and the death toll mounts, the question remains: how many more Palestinians must die before criticism of Israel’s actions – and of Starmer’s complicity through inaction- becomes acceptable within the Party that once prided itself on standing with the oppressed? 

Paul Knaggs