Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s judgement has come under fire over a delay in withdrawing his party’s support for its Rochdale by-election candidate, Azhar Ali, over remarks he made about Israel.

It comes as The Standard reveals Labour faces a “brutal” battle in the party’s new London heartlands amid growing “movement” of local independent candidates enraged at the response to Gaza - with shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting’s Ilford North seat top of the list of targets.

The Standard’s chief political correspondent, Rachael Burford, shares her analysis.

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