Birmingham Labour MP Jess Phillips resigns from Shadow front bench - here’s why

Birmingham MP Jess Phillips has quit her role in the Shadow Office team due to the “horror of the situation in Israel and Palestine”.

Ms Phillips has posted her resignation addressed to Labour Leader Keir Starmer on X, formerly Twitter, outlining her reasons for resigning from her post. She has not resigned as a Labour MP and is planning to continue to represent Birmingham Yardley from the back benches. She also plans to continue her work with Yvette Cooper to halve incidents of domestic abuse. 

She said: “On this occasion I must vote with my constituents, my head and my heart which has felt as if I were breaking over the last four weeks with the horror of the situation in Israel and Palestine. I can see no route where the current military action does anything but put at risk the hope of peace and security for anyone in the region now and in the future.”

Reports earlier today told how Sir Keir Starmer was braced for resignations from shi frontbench as he hholds a difficult vote on the Israel-Gaza war. The Labour leadership has drawn up an amendment, circlated ot MPs last night, to allow a vote on the growing cris in teh Middle East. It does not call for a ceasefire, as dozens of Labour MPs - including members of the frontbench lke Hess Phillips - have demanded.

However, the amendment is intended to move closer to this position, by calling for "longer" humanitarian pauses in fighting to allow in aid, which shadow minister Lisa Nandy conceded could be days or even weeks.