Now, as your headlines with. Ray thanks patrick. Good afternoon. Its 3 01. Our top story the first load of humanitarian aid from the uk to gazais humanitarian aid from the uk to gaza is on its way to egypt. The ministry of defence confirmed that an raf plane is carrying 21 tonnes of supplies, which include medical equipment and water filters. The government water filters. The government says stockpiles of wound care packs were donated by the department for health. The aid will be distributed through the egyptian red crescent. We can egyptian red crescent. We can see for those of you watching on television now, live footage from gaza here in the uk, the Prime Minister is refusing to support calls for a ceasefire despite pressure from more than 80 mp5 despite pressure from more than 80 mps to do so. Instead, rishi sunakis 80 mps to do so. Instead, rishi sunak is backing specific pauses in the conflict to allow for the Safe Delivery of aid to the territory. Five british nationals are among more than 200 people still being held hostage in the strip. Hostage in the strip. The first and most important principle is that israel has the right to defend itself under international law. Our support for that position is absolute and unchanged. But from the start, we have also said that we do want british nationals to be able to leave gaza and that we want hostages to be released and for humanitarian aid to get in. And we recognise that for all of that to happen, there has to be a safer environment, which of course necessitates specific pauses as as distinct from a ceasefire along with new strikes today, israel intensified its bombardment of gaza overnight. The military saying that it targeted hamas infrastructure, including a weapons stockpile. The Palestinian Health ministry, which is run by hamas , says 756 which is run by hamas, says 756 people, including 344 children, have been killed in the past 24 hours. That brings the total to more than 6500 since october 7th. The Israel Defence forces also say the navy spotted terrorists exiting a tunnel onto a beach on the strip. They were a beach on the strip. They were killed when they tried to enter israeli territory by sea. A israeli territory by sea. A former South Wales Police officer has been jailed for life with a minimum of 12 years for Sexual Offences against children. Lewis edwards used fake social media accounts and posed as a teenager to groom more than 200 young girls online. He forced his victims to take indecent images of themselves using the material to blackmail them in sentencing, the judge described his behaviour as cruel and sadistic and said he posed a dangerous risk to children. Head of the forces online investigation team, detective superintendent Tracey Rankin says this behaviour will not be tolerated. Behaviour will not be tolerated. And it was just devastating to know that that person was one of our own at the time of the offending and im really grateful all of the swift nature that he failed to stop being a Police Officer because, you know, he was he was sacked, which im really you know, that sends a very strong message that, you know, we wont tolerate this sort of activity and behaviour. Tolerate this sort of activity and behaviour. The two met and behaviour. The two met Police Officers have been sacked after being found guilty of gross misconduct over the stop and search of two black athletes , ricardo dos santos and his partner Bianca Williams were stopped in their car in london in 2020. Nothing was found in the vehicle and no arrests were made, with the pair publicly accusing the force of racism. Five officers were investigated. Five officers were investigated. All of them denied any wrongdoing. But the panel upheld wrongdoing. But the panel upheld complaints against pcs Jonathan Clapham and sam franks. Three clapham and sam franks. Three people have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after londons wellington arch was vandalised. A Just Stop Oil was vandalised. A Just Stop Oil posted video of activists spraying orange paint on the grade one listed structure, which is almost 200 years old. They then set off flares. The stunt is part of the groups Ongoing Campaign , demanding the Ongoing Campaign, demanding the government end new oil and gas contracts. Rishi sunak was contracts. Rishi sunak was quizzed on the cost of living crisis on his First Anniversary as Prime Minister the labour leader accused his government of crashing the economy, highlighting the case of a family whose mortgage went up by a quarter. The pm responded by saying his policy to cope with Rising Interest Rates is twice as generous as the opposition, which has a track record of u turns. But sir keir starmer says the recent by Election Results are a clear message from voters. Voters. Truth is, his candidate in tamworth summed up perfectly just how his and his tories are treating the British Public. So will he just call a general election and give the british pubuc election and give the British Public the chance to respond as they did in selby . Mid beds and tamworth . Theyve heard the government telling them to f off and they want the chance to return the compliment, as we saw with his recent decisions on actually building new houses. Politicians like him always take the easy way out. Mr speaker , whereas were, were speaker, whereas were, were getting on making the right long term decisions to change this country for the better. On net zero, on hs2, on a smoke free generation, on education and energy security. Contrast that to his leadership. Too cautious to his leadership. Too cautious to say anything and hope that nobody notices. Mr speaker , let nobody notices. Mr speaker, let me tell him, come that general election, the british people will and anne diamond has been made an obe at Buckingham Palace. The journalist and gb news presenter received the honour from king charles for her services to Public Health and charity. It recognise her campaigning efforts for research into cot death following the death of her son sebastian, from sudden infant death syndrome. She said in june that she received news of the honour on the same day that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. This is gb news across the uk on tv , in your car, on digital tv, in your car, on Digital Radio and on your Smart Speaker by saying play gb news news. Now lets get back to. Patrick lets get back to. Patrick keir starmer has bungled a trip to a mosque. Now, at first glance, this issue is absolutely hilarious. But then the more you think about it, the more depressing it gets. So, captain, hindsight rocks up at a mosque in south wales with his own paparazzi to stage some kind of islamic love in and demonstrate that he isnt entirely on the side of israel in this war. Hes obviously expecting to be greeted with open arms to get a load of smiley shots and to help hoover up the three and a bit million votes that the Muslim Population has to population of britain has to offer. What happened was a lesson in how cack handed virtue signalling can go. Catastrophic really wrong, the imam reported he didnt really speak english and didnt know who he was. Ill return to that in a moment. Other people at the south Wales Islamic Centre didnt want to be used for very cheap pr stunt and they berated keir starmer. Then they berated keir starmer. Then keir starmer was not so slick. Pr machine put out this tweet which you will see on your screens. Now if youre watching us on tv or online saying the labour leader echoed calls for hostage to be released for humanitarian aid to get to gaza, for israel to keep electricity and water flowing into the area, as well as his push for a two state solution. But this was state solution. But this was greeted with fury by elements of the Islamic Community. This prompted the imam to receive loads of angry phone calls. According to reports. He then according to reports. He then literally broke down in tears, started bawling his eyes out. Okay and the Muslim Council of wales felt the need to issue this statement, slamming starmer, claiming that they were dismayed by him that hed essentially misled an imam and misrepresented their conversations entirely. And now, conversations entirely. And now, sir keir is urgently meeting with a load of labour muslim mps because loads and loads of councillors are resigning right across the uk and the party is being ripped apart right now. That stuff i find absolutely hilarious. Its a completely self inflicted crisis that has blown up way bigger than anyone could have expected, but i scratch the surface and actually it exposes some massive problems in society here. We appear to have, according to reports, an imam practise being in one of the oldest and best established muslim communities in wales who doesnt speak english and cant read english and has in no way bothered to engage with british politics. He has no idea who the leader of the opposition, who quite possibly, by the way, could be the next Prime Minister here, is that speaks volumes, doesnt it . But heres the other big issue. Doesnt it . But heres the other big issue. Im not doesnt it . But heres the other big issue. Im not known for big issue. Im not known for giving keir starmer an easy ride, he has actually been ride, but he has actually been pretty neutral the israel pretty neutral on the israel gaza , hamas situation. Hes gaza, hamas situation. Hes condemned hamas, a terrorist organisation. Hes called for organisation. Hes called for restraint from israel. Okay. Restraint from israel. Okay. Hes called for humanitarian aid to continue to go to gaza. Fine. To continue to go to gaza. Fine. And hes called for israel to keep providing electricity and water. He has actually been really quite reasonable in all of this. Hes walked the line on this quite well. The one thing this quite well. The one thing that he hasnt done is call for an immediate ceasefire, and thats absolutely fair enough. Thats absolutely fair enough. And yet that is not enough for clearly, clearly elements of the Islamic Community in wales. And dare i suggest elsewhere as well, do you think maybe that might be a little problem . The might be a little problem . The final big issue is what happens now, isnt it . We have seen Police Forces , workplaces and Police Forces, workplaces and schools bend over backwards to accommodate the sensitivities of more hardline elements of britains Islamic Community. The labour leader now finds himself confronted by backlash from councillors from mps and from parts of the extreme left of his party and possibly possibly millions of people within a certain religious community. Does he continue to say what hes been saying so far when it comes to israel and gaza, or does he cave in and fold to their demands . How long is it their demands . How long is it before the labour leader is running . Press releases past the running . Press releases past the south Wales Islamic Centre. South Wales Islamic Centre. Well, you can email me with your views, gb views gbnews. Com. I want to hear from you on this. I want to hear from you on this. I want to hear from you on this. I want to know what you think it all really means. There is an all really means. There is an ongoing story which were going to talk about now with our Political Correspondent olivia utley joins us at the moment utley who joins us at the moment from west minster. Yes, olivia, thank you very much. So keir thank you very much. So keir starmer is in a bit of a mess here. I understand that hes been meeting several muslim been meeting with several muslim labour there are rumours labour mps and there are rumours onune labour mps and there are rumours online of a couple of people threatening to quit. Labour councillors have gone loads in scotland have walked apparently quite a few in oxford, some others dotted around the country. Bradford being some of them. Whats going on in labour at the moment over this . At the moment over this . Well as you say, patrick keir starmer is in a real mess. I was at Prime Ministers questions earlier and you could see just what a pickle hed got himself in this should have been a really easy pmqs for starmer. He won two by elections in an unprecedented fashion last week, overturned a majority of 24,000 in mid bedfordshire. Overturned a majority of 24,000 in mid bedfordshire. And yet it in mid bedfordshire. And yet it felt very much as though he was on the back foot. Why why . Because for the whole six questions, he didnt once mention the middle east. Now that seems absolutely bizarre given that its obviously at the forefront of pretty much everyones minds and on the front page of every single newspaper. Been for the newspaper. And has been for the last and a half but last two and a half weeks. But as you the reason hes so as you say, the reason hes so keen to avoid subject is keen to avoid this subject is that theres now a real schism in labour over some comments that keir starmer made about israel with nick israel in an interview with nick ferrari, presenter he said ferrari, lbc presenter he said that im paraphrasing here, but he essentially said that he supported israels right to cut off the water supply to gaza. He off the water supply to gaza. He hasnt actually rowed back on that yet. Hes still saying that he is 100 behind israel just like the Prime Minister and as a result, 25 labour councillors up and down the country have resigned and there are rumours that frontbenchers are going to resign as well. Obviously some of them are deeply, deeply concerned by the humanity crisis in gaza and some of them are also quite worried about their own seats. Its thought that there in the there are 30 seats in the country where the muslim vote will a be of great will have a will be of great importance , could decide which importance, could decide which way seat goes, and 30 labour way the seat goes, and 30 labour mps arent happy at all. One really question at really interesting question at pmqs was from a shadow minister for women and equalities who stood up and said how many more people have to die before the Prime Minister, rishi sunak, will agree to a ceasefire well, the official labour line is that there should be no ceasefire that israel has a right to defend itself. If so, it feels defend itself. If so, it feels as though some of those shadow ministers are playing pretty close to the edge of disagreeing with labour official policy. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Keir starmer, meet reality. Olivia thank you very much. Olivia thank you very much. Olivia utley there. Gb news is Political Correspondent in westminster. Well go back to olivia for any updates. Will we get some big hitting labour resignations over this . It appears like its certainly on the cards. They are absolutely tying themselves in knots. Im joined edwards , joined now by peter edwards, whos former editor of whos the former editor of labourlist. Thank you labourlist. Peter, thank you very, very much. Labour is in a mess, isnt it . Of this . I mess, isnt it . Of this . I wouldnt put it like that. And patrick, youre often very reasonable and balanced , but the reasonable and balanced, but the first half of your intro was was way too trivial for me. I first half of your intro was was way too trivial for me. I think as you then went on to say, keir starmer is trying to do essentially what rishi sunak is doing, which is recognising there was a worse terrorist attack on israel since the holocaust horrific holocaust completely horrific events. But as we speak, civilians are dying in gaza in terrible circumstances. And as terrible circumstances. And as you mentioned, keir starmer and mayor muslim residents and muslim mps and hes done the same with the jewish community, i believe, and hes hes trying to ensure hes annoyed them all, hasnt he . I mean, hes hes wound them right up. I mean, supposedly one of his aides has called south called an imam of the south Wales Islamic Centre, who barely speaks any english. I had no idea who this guy is, and hes turned up with a his own photo crew and put out what what the people of the people of the Islamic Community of wales , the Islamic Community of wales, the Muslim Council of wales, say is a completely misleading account of what actually happened. I mean, hes had an absolute nightmare , hasnt he . And then nightmare, hasnt he . And then off the back of it weve got here now im just going to read you i type in labour council, you if i type in labour council, resign on google. Bradford councillor as has councillor resigns as labour has betrayed british muslims over gaza. Thats why resigning gaza. Thats why im resigning from the party. Oxford city council disappointed six Council Leader disappointed six more councillors resign. Labour more councillors resign. Labour voters are appalled at starmer over palestine. 15 scottish labour officers resign over gaza. Labourin labour officers resign over gaza. Labour in crisis as 23 councillors resign. But you say the party is not in a mess over this . Well i wouldnt use a word crisis because theres an actual crisis because theres an actual crisis in the middle east where here were