Newham councillors and Mayor call for ceasefire in Gaza

Newham 65 has seen a letter signed by 31 Newham Councillors and the Mayor calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, which we understand was sent to Keir Starmer this morning. The text of the letter is as follows:

As Newham Labour councillors we are proud to represent one of the most diverse communities in the country. We are appalled and saddened by the events in the Middle East.

Some of us have been personally touched by the war, some of us will represent residents whose lives have been thrown into turmoil and chaos or will watch on in horror.

As community leaders it is incumbent on us to demonstrate our commitment to humanity in the face of horror. We must stand with our community in the face of racism whether that be antisemitism or Islamophobia. We must oppose all acts of murder and hostage taking. We stand against collective punishment and killing of vulnerable people especially in hospitals and places of sanctuary.

We call for the following actions:

• We join many other Labour councillors and council leaders, MPs, Labour Shadow Ministers, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Sir Stephen Timms MP and others in calling for an immediate ceasefire

• We join the UN Secretary General’s call for an end to the blockade of medical supplies and much needed aid

• We call for the release of all illegally held hostages and prisoners

• We call for international and human rights laws to be upheld particularly with regards to the illegal occupation of both Gaza and the West Bank

• We call for an immediate diplomatic solution to be found through peace talks and agreements

The signatories are as follows:

Zulfiqar Ali, Plaistow North
Jennifer Bailey, Manor Park
Syed Bashar, Little Ilford
Nur Begum, Little Ilford
Elizabeth Booker, Little Ilford
Rita Chadha, Cannning Town North
Areeq Chowdhury, Canning Town North
Carolyn Corben, Maryland
Rohit Dasgupta, Canning Town South
Sasha Das Gupta, Forest Gate North
Mariam Dawood, Manor Park
Rokhsana Fiaz, Mayor of Newham
Mohammed Gani, Boleyn
Lewis Godfrey, Green Street West
Zuber Gulamussen, Plashet North
Imam Haque, East Ham
Dina Hossein, Plaistow West
Anam Islam, Forest Gate South
Sabia Kamali, Stratford
Mumtaz Khan, Green Street West
Jane Lofthouse, Plaistow South
Charlene McLean, West Ham
Susan Masters, East Ham South
Shaban Mohammed, Canning Town North
Salim Patel, Manor Park
Terry Paul, Stratford
Muzibur Rahman, Green Street East
Rohima Rahman, Beckton
Sarah Ruiz, Custom House
Madeline Sarley Pontin, Forest Gate South
John Whitworth, West Ham
Larisa Zilickaja, Green Street East

UPDATE – 7 November 2023
Newham 65 has been informed that the following councillors have also added their signatures to this letter:

Miraj Patel, Green Street East
Winston Vaughan, Forest Gate South
Harvinder Virdee, Boleyn