Labour MP Jess Phillips joins wave of MPs quitting frontbench over Sir Keir Starmer’s stance on Gaza

Labour MP Jess Phillips has quit the frontbench after deciding to support an SNP amendment to the King’s Speech backing a ceasefire.

Sir Keir Starmer has lost a total of eight frontbenchers after he suffered a major rebellion in a Commons vote calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Birmingham Yardley MP has written to Sir Keir Starmer saying she will resign from her roles as shadow minister.

She wrote: "This week has been one of the toughest in politics since I entered parliament. I have tried to do everything that I could to make it so that this was not the outcome, but it is with a heavy heart that I will be leaving my post in the shadow office team.

“On this occasion I must vote with my constituents, my head, and my heart which has felt as if it were breaking over the last four weeks with the horror of the situation in Israel and Palestine.”

READ MORE: Two Greater Manchester MPs resign as shadow ministers over Israel-Hamas ceasefire vote

READ MORE: How Greater Manchester MPs voted on ceasefire debate in Parliament

Greater Manchester MPs Yasmin Qureshi, Afzal Khan also quit this evening (November 15) along with Paula Barker. Other frontbenchers Rachel Hopkins, Sarah Owen, Naz Shah and Andy Slaughter have also left the frontbench after breaking the party whip to back the amendment.

Parliamentary private secretaries Dan Carden and Mary Foy have also left their positions.

MPs voted 293 to 125, majority 168, to reject the SNP’s King’s Speech amendment calling for “all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza.

Labour MPs had been ordered to abstain on the SNP move and were told instead to back Sir Keir’s position calling for longer “humanitarian pauses” rather than a ceasefire.

In a statement following the