Imran Hussain may not be one of Labour’s biggest-name MPs. Indeed, some will be forgiven on hearing about his resignation as “Shadow Minister for the New Deal for Working People” to recall what exactly he brought to Sir Keir Starmer’s team.
However, his resignation marks a critical point in Labour’s pained effort to unite behind a clear position on Israel’s war against Hamas.
Until now, Labourites have shown their despair with Sir Keir’s refusal to call for a ceasefire by taking matters into their own hands.
That is why we have heard from a growing chorus of peaceniks comprising scores of Labour MPs, hundreds of councillors, Sadiq Khan, Andy Burnham and the party’s leader in Scotland Anas Sarwar.
Plenty of shadow ministers have joined this revolt by calling for a ceasefire, daring Sir Keir to sack them in order to maintain his grip on the party.
Every single one has kept their job, except for Hussain – who has taken the initiative to jump.
The Labour MP sets out his alarm with the strength of Sir Keir’s support for Israel, writing in his resignation letter that it left him “deeply troubled”.
By quitting, Hussain is not just piling pressure on the Labour leader to change tack. He is also forcing his fellow frontbench rebels to work out what they do next.
With at least 14 shadow ministers making their own demands for a U-turn, Hussain is unlikely to be the only resignation.
If any join him in jumping, they risk turning this revolt into a full-blown civil war. If they stay put, they risk looking weak, cowardly and unprincipled to their supporters.
When polls show that as many as 74 percent of Labour voters back an immediate ceasefire, they will feel their cause is righteous.
This is now the make-or-break moment for Labour’s Israel rebels. Sounding off on Twitter hasn’t been enough to force Sir Keir to change. Labour is still digging in after Hussain’s resignation. So they have to decide how far they are willing to go.
Some on the hard Left are already on manoeuvres in Parliament, with the latest step being to push a pro-Palestine amendment into the King’s Speech debates. They will push this at every opportunity possible to keep it on the agenda.
Sir Keir has tried to talk sceptical Labourites around, but they have resisted his powers of persuasion. He could get tough and start punishing rebels to bring the party into line, but is evidently holding off to keep the peace in the short-term and to leave him the space for another U-turn in the future.
Labour’s Israel rebels are not going to go away quietly. As Hussain’s resignation shows, they are prepared to ramp up their revolt in order to get results. Either they or Sir Keir will have to back down in the end. The difference of opinion is so stark between them that there can only be one winner.
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