CAMPAIGNERS have condemned revelations that Labour is taking direction from Washington on the Gaza crisis.

Confirming what has long been obvious, party leader Sir Keir Starmer has told Labour MPs that he is in regular contact with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

Sir Keir and shadow foreign secretary David Lammy have been closely shadowing US policy throughout the war, including in failing to call for a ceasefire despite the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians.

This forms part of Sir Keir’s strategy of signalling to the British and US establishments that he can be relied upon to follow conventional elite policies at home and abroad.

A Stop the War Coalition spokesman said: “This comes as no surprise, we have long known that Labour under Starmer takes its orders on Palestine from the UK and US governments.

“From shutting down debate at Labour Conference to banning left Labour MPs from supporting the Stop the War Coalition, his was never going to be a principled position of opposition to Israel’s war on Gaza.

“In failing to call, at the very least, for a permanent ceasefire, and to condemn Israel’s war crimes, Labour is clearly parroting Washington’s line. There will undoubtedly be electoral consequences.”

And a spokesman for left campaign group Momentum said: “The last Labour government followed US foreign policy and led us into two disastrous wars as a result.

“Labour should be listening to the British public, not the State Department.”

A Labour spokesman confirmed that the party leadership was liaising with Washington over the issue as part of normal consultation with allies.

He also dismissed concerns that nearly 100 councillors have quit Labour over its Gaza policy, saying Sir Keir was solely motivated by “acting in the national interest.”

The Labour spokesman also confirmed that the party opposed the case bought against Israel at the International Court of Justice charging it with genocide.  “We are not using the term,” he said, “and it is not something we would support.”

Meanwhile, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will join a South African government delegation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the country’s upcoming case accusing Israel of genocide.

Mr Corbyn was the only foreign political figure named in the South African statement.

Earlier this week, Mr Corbyn called on Parliament to “support South Africa’s process.”

Mr Corbyn told MPs: “People are dying of starvation and thirst in the Gaza Strip.

“Cannot the government understand the anger around the world when they watch this happening in real-time?”