British lawmaker Jeremy Corbyn forms pro-Palestine parliamentary alliance

Former UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has formed a pro-Palestinian parliamentary alliance that includes four independent lawmakers, The Guardian reported. Members of parliament Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan, Adnan Hussain and Iqbal Mohamed were all elected on a pro-Palestine platform in Britain’s July election.

They will join Corbyn, a longtime supporter of the Palestinian cause, as an official grouping called the Independent Alliance in the House of Commons, rivaling Reform UK and the Democratic Unionist Party in MP numbers. The alliance will also have one more MP than the left-wing Green Party. As well promoting the Palestinian cause, the alliance has pledged to fight austerity and the two-child benefit limit, as well as UK arms sales to Israel.

The five independents issued a call for more MPs to join them. “We were elected by our constituents to provide hope in a parliament of despair,” they said. “Already, this government has scrapped the winter fuel allowance for around 10 million pensioners, voted to keep the two-child benefits cap and ignored calls to end arms sales to Israel. “Millions of people are crying out for a real alternative to austerity, inequality and war — and their voices deserve to be heard.

As individuals we were voted by our constituents to represent their concerns in parliament on these matters and more, and we believe that as a collective group we can carry on doing this with greater effect. “The more MPs who are prepared to stand up for these principles the better. Our door is always open to other MPs who believe in a more equal and peaceful world.” The five have not formed a political party but a grouping without a leader, potentially allowing them more time to speak and debate in the House of Commons. In the election, the independents stood on strong pro-Palestine platforms in seats with high numbers of Muslim voters, many of whom were dissatisfied with Labour’s stance on the Gaza war.

In parliament, the alliance will likely pile new pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer over Britain’s relationship with Israel. In July, Labour suspended seven MPs for supporting a Scottish National Party motion calling for the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap. The Independent Alliance will likely target the suspended MPs, including former key allies of Corbyn, for defection.