Greens’ Mothin Ali demands apology from Starmer for dangerous smear

Green party deputy leader Mothin Ali has demanded that Keir Starmer apologise for endorsing a Tory MP’s dangerous smear. Ali feels this has put his life in danger.

When Israel fanatic Alec Shelbrooke lied, under the protection of parliamentary privilege, that Ali had protested “in support of the ayatollah”, Starmer did not put Shelbrooke right. Instead Starmer reinforced the lie:

I think we were all shocked by the actions of the deputy leader of the Green Party – although perhaps not surprised, given that party’s recent turn of direction.

Shelbrooke also linked Ali to the fictitious ‘antisemitism’ Starmer used as an excuse to purge the left from the Labour party, including many Jews. That purge has contributed to his record unpopularity and almost bankrupted the party. It has also signalled his betrayal of Labour values. This has seen him punish the poor and vulnerable. He has also collaborated in Israel’s genocide and war crimes in Gaza.

Ali reacted at the time, reasonably, that such shameless incitement of the extremist right would “get me killed”. He has received multiple death threats since. In fact, Ali had simply attended an anti-war protest in Parliament Square.

Ali also attributed Starmer’s smear to his desperation to attack the Greens after Green candidate Hannah Spencer trounced Labour into a poor third place in last week’s Gorton and Denton by-election. Spencer romped home with 41% of the vote, sixteen points ahead of Labour, who fell by a massive 25 points in what had been a party stronghold before Starmer.

Featured image via the Canary